Return of the Last McKenna

“Yes. But I prefer Brody.” He scrawled his name across the receipt and slid it back to her.

“Well, thank you, Brody.” His name slid off her tongue with an easy, sweet lilt. “I hope you return if you’re in the neighborhood again.”

“Thank you, Kate.” He picked up his basket and headed for the door. As he pushed on the exit, he paused, turned back. He had come here for a reason, and had yet to fulfill even a tenth of that purpose. “Maybe someday I can return the favor.”

“I didn’t do anything special, just my job. If you want to return the favor, then tell all your friends to shop here and to call on us to help them celebrate special moments.” And then, like a gift, she smiled at him again. “That’ll be more than enough.”

“No, it won’t,” he said, his voice low and quiet, then headed out the door.

CHAPTER TWO

WHAT had he been thinking?

He’d gone into that little shop planning…what?

To tell Kate the truth? That her little brother had charged him with making sure his sister was okay. That Brody was supposed to make sure she wasn’t letting her grief overwhelm her, and that she was staying on track with her life, despite losing Andrew. Instead Brody had bought a basket of chocolates, and chickened out at the last minute. Damn.

“Tell me you’re quiet because you’re distracted by that pretty hostess over there,” Riley said to Brody. The dim interior provided the perfect backdrop for the microbrewery/restaurant that had become their newest favorite stop for lunch. Brody had called Riley yesterday after his visit to Nora’s Sweet Shop, and made plans for lunch today. That, he figured, would keep him from making another visit. And leaving without saying or doing what he’d gone there to do.

“Why are you mentioning the hostess?” Brody asked. “Aren’t you getting married soon?”

“I am indeed. But that doesn’t mean I can’t keep my eye out for a pretty girl…” Riley leaned across the table and grinned, “for you. You’re the last of the McKenna boys who isn’t married. Better pony up to the bar, brother, and join the club.”

“No way. I’ve tried that—”

“You got engaged. Not married. Doesn’t count. You came to the edge of the cliff and didn’t jump.”

“For good reason.” Melissa had been more interested in the glamour of being a doctor’s wife than in being Brody’s wife. Once she’d realized he had opted for a small family practice instead of a lucrative practice like plastic surgery or cardiac care, she’d called off the engagement. She didn’t want a man who spent his life “sacrificing,” she’d said. No matter what Brody said or did, he couldn’t fix their relationship and couldn’t get it back on track. Brody’s family dream had evaporated like a puddle on a summer day.

Brody picked up the menu and scanned the offerings. “How’s work going?”

That drew more laughter from Riley. “Don’t think I’m falling for that. You’re changing the subject.”

“You got me.” Brody put up his hands. “I don’t want to talk about the hostess or my love life or why I didn’t get married. I want to visit with my little brother before he attaches the ball and chain to his ankle.”

“No need for that. I’m head over heels in love with my wife to be.” A goofy grin spread across Riley’s face. “We’re working out the final details for the wedding. Got the place—”

“The diner.” A busy, quaint place in the heart of Boston where the former playboy Riley had worked for a few weeks when their grandmother had cut him off from the family pocketbook and told him to get a job and grow up. Now, a couple of months later, Riley had turned into a different man. Stace had brought out the best in Brody’s little brother.

“Gran had a fit about us having the wedding at the Morning Glory, because she wanted us to get married at the Park Plaza, but Stace and I love that old diner, so it seemed only fitting we seal the deal there. Stace has her dress, though I am forbidden from seeing it until the wedding day. And you guys all have your suits—”

“Thank you again for not making me put on a tux.”

Riley grinned. “You know me, Brody. I’d rather wear a horsehair shirt than a tux. Finn’s the only formal one out of the three of us. He actually wanted a tux. Says I’m killing a tradition with the suit idea.” Riley waved a hand in dismissal. “I’m sure Ellie will talk some sense into him. That wife of his has been the best thing ever for ol’ stick in the mud Finn.”

Brody shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re talking about wedding plans. You’ve changed, little brother.”

“For the better, believe me. Meeting Stace made me change everything about myself, my life. And I’m glad it did.” The waitress came by their table to take their orders. Riley opted to try the new Autumn Lager, while Brody stuck to water.

Riley raised a hand when a few of their mutual friends came in. Then he turned back to Brody. “Want me to invite them over to join us?”

Brody thought of the small talk they’d exchange, idle chatter about women, work and sports. “I don’t feel much like company. Maybe another time.”

“You okay?”

“I’m fine.” Brody pushed his menu to the side of the table and avoided his brother’s gaze.

“Sure you are. Brody, you’re still struggling. You should talk about it.”

The waitress dropped off their drinks. Brody thanked her, then took a long sip of the icy water. Talking about it hadn’t done any good. He’d lost patients before, back when he was an intern, and in the last few years, seen a few patients die of heart disease and cancer, but this one had been different. Maybe because he’d lacked the tools so easy to obtain here.

Either way, Brody didn’t want to discuss the loss of Andrew. Of the three McKennas, Brody kept the most inside. Maybe it came from being the middle brother, sandwiched between practical Finn and boisterous Riley. Or maybe it stemmed from his job—the good doctor trying to keep emotion out of the equation and relying on logic to make decisions. Or maybe it stemmed from something deeper.

Admitting he had failed. Doctors were the ones people relied on to fix it, make it better, and Brody hadn’t done either.

“By the way,” Brody said, “if you guys don’t have a cake picked out yet for the wedding, there’s this bakery down the street from my office that does cupcake wedding cakes. They had a display in the window. I thought it looked kind of cool. I know you and Stace are doing the unconventional thing, so maybe this would be a good fit.”

“Changing the subject again?”

Brody grinned. “Doing my best.”

“Okay. I get the hint. No, we don’t have a cake decided on yet. We planned this whole thing pretty fast, because all I want to do is wake up next to Stace every day of my life.” Riley grinned, then narrowed his eyes. “Hey, since when do you bring dessert to a get-together? Or heck, offer anything other than a reminder to get my flu shot?”

Brody scowled. “I thought it’d be nice for you and Stace.”

Riley leaned forward, studying his older brother’s face. “Wait…did you say bakery? Is it the one owned by that guy’s sister?”

“Yeah.” Brody shrugged, concentrated on drinking his water. “It is. But that’s not—”

“Oh.” Riley paused a second. “Okay. I get it. Good idea.”

“I’m just offering to help defray the costs of your wedding.”

“Whatever spin you want to put on it is fine with me.” Riley chuckled. “Stace talked about baking the cake herself, but she’s so busy with the diner, and then planning this thing. Let me talk to Stace and see if that works for her. I’ll do that right now, in fact.”

“You don’t have to—”

“I don’t mind, Brody. Not one bit.” Riley’s face filled with sympathy. Riley knew very little about Brody’s time in Afghanistan. A few facts, but no real details, and only because Riley had brought over a six-pack of beer to welcome Brody home, and by the third one, Brody had started talking. He’d told Riley one of the military guys who had died had been local, that he’d struck up a friendship with the man before he died. But that was all. Brody had hoped broaching the subject would be cathartic. Instead, in the morning he had a hangover and ten times more regrets.

Riley flipped out his cell phone and dialed. “How’s the prettiest bride in Boston today?”

Brody heard Stace laugh on the other end. He turned away, watched the hum of activity in the restaurant. Waitstaff bustling back and forth, the bartender joking with a few regulars, the tables filling and emptying like tidal pools.

“Stace loves the idea,” Riley said, closing the phone and tucking it back into his pocket. “She said to tell you our colors are—”

“Your colors?” Brody chuckled. “You have a color scheme there, Riley?”

A flush filled his younger brother’s cheeks. “Hey, if it makes Stace happy, it makes me happy. Anyway, go for bright pink and purple. Morning glories, you know?”

Brody nodded. His brother had told him about the meaning behind the diner Stace owned. The one started years before by her father, and decorated with the flowers that he had said reminded him of his daughter. A sentimental gift to a daughter he’d loved very much. “That’ll be nice.”

“Yeah,” Riley said, as a quiet smile stole across his face, “it will.”

How Brody envied his brother that smile. The peace in his features. The happiness he wore like a comfortable shirt.

It was the same thing Brody had been searching for, and not finding. He’d thought maybe if he stopped by and talked to Kate, made a step toward the promise he’d made, it would help. If anything, it had stirred a need in him to do more, to do…something.

Hence, the cupcakes. Now that he’d opened his big mouth, he’d need to go back there and place the order.

Damn.

“So how is work going?” Brody said before Riley turned the conversation around again. His brother had started an after school program at the arts centered high school he’d once attended. For creative, energetic Riley, the job fit well.

“Awesome. The kids at the Wilmont Academy are loving the program. So much, we opened it up to other kids in the area. We’re already talking about expanding it in size and number of schools.”

“That’s great.” The waitress brought their food and laid a steaming platter of mini burgers and fries in front of Riley, a Waldorf salad in front of Brody.

“Why do you eat that crap?” Brody said. “You know what it’s doing to your arteries. With our family history—”

Riley put up a hand. “I love you, Brody, I really do, but if you say anything about my fries, I’m going to have to hurt you.”

“I just worry about you.”

“And I appreciate it. I’ll do an extra mile on the treadmill tonight if that makes you feel better.”

“It does. Did you get your flu—”

Riley tick-tocked a finger. “Don’t go all doctor on me. I’m out to lunch with my brother, and we’re talking about my job. Okay?”

Brody grinned. “Okay.”

As if to add an exclamation point to the conversation, Riley popped a fry into his mouth. “Things at Wilmont, like I said, are going great. We’ve got classes in woodworking, dance, film, you name it. They’re filling up fast.”

“That’s great.”

“Oh, yeah, before I forget. We’re having a career day next month and we’re looking for people to speak to the kids about their jobs. Answer questions about education requirements, things like that.” Riley fiddled with a fry. “Maybe you could come in and do a little presentation on going into medicine. You know, a day in the life of a doctor, that kind of thing.”

Brody pushed his salad to the side, his appetite gone. “I don’t think I’m the best person to talk about that.”

Riley’s blue eyes met his brother’s. Old school rock music flowed from the sound system with a deep bass and steady beat. “You’re the perfect one. You’ve got a variety of experiences and—”

“Just drop it. Okay?” He let out a curse and shook his head. Why had he called his brother? Why had he thought it would make things better? Hell, it had done the opposite. “I just want to get you some damned cupcakes. How many do you need?”

Riley sighed. He looked like he wanted to say something more but didn’t. “There should be fifty guests. So whatever it takes to feed that many. We’re keeping it small. I figure I’ve lived enough of my life in the limelight. I want this to be special. Just me and Stace, or as close as we can get to that.”

Brody nodded. Tried not to let his envy for Riley’s happiness show. First Finn, now Riley, settled down and making families. For a long time, Brody had traveled along that path, too. He’d dated Melissa for a couple years, and he’d thought they’d get married. Then just before he took over Doc Watkin’s practice, he’d spent two weeks working for free in a clinic in Alabama, tending to people who fell into the gap between insurance and state aid. He’d been in the middle of stitching up a kid with a gaping leg wound when Melissa had called to tell him she was done, and moving on.

“Thanks,” Brody said, getting to his feet and tossing some money onto the table. He turned away, shrugged into his jacket. “I’ll let the baker know about the cupcakes.”

“Brod?”

Brody turned back. “Yeah?”

“How are you? Really?”

Brody thought of the physicals and sore throats and aches and pains waiting for him back in his office. The patients expecting him to fix them, make them better. For a month, in Afghanistan, he’d thought he was doing just that, making a difference, until—

Until he’d watched the light die in Andrew Spencer’s eyes.

“I thought I was fine,” Brody said. “But I was wrong.”

CHAPTER THREE

KATE stared at the pile of orders on her desk, the paperwork waiting to be done, but found her mind wandering to the handsome customer who had come in a couple days ago. The doctor with the Red Sox basket, who had been both friendly and…troubled. Yes, that was the word for it. She’d joked with him about spreading the word about the shop, told him it would be enough to repay her work on the basket, and he’d said—

No it won’t.

Such an odd comment to leave her with. What on earth could he have meant? She hadn’t done anything more for him than she’d do for any other customer. Changed a bow, added some feminine touches. It wasn’t like she’d handed over a kidney or anything. Maybe she’d misheard him.

Kate gave up on the work and got to her feet, crossing to the window. She looked out over the alley that ran between her shop and the one next door, then down toward the street, busy with cars passing in a blur as people headed home after work. The sound system played music Kate didn’t hear and the computer flashed messages of emails Kate didn’t read.

Her mind strayed to Dr. Brody McKenna again. She didn’t know much about him, except that he was a Red Sox fan who’d been too distracted to notice the basket he’d picked out was more suited to a male than a female. Maybe he was one of those scattered professor types. Brilliant with medicine but clueless about real life.

She sighed, then turned away from the window. She had a hundred other priorities that didn’t include daydreaming about a handsome doctor. She’d met two kinds of men in her life—lazy loafers who expected her to be their support system and driven career A-types who invested more in their jobs than their relationships.

Few heroes like Andrew, few men who lived every day with heart and passion. Until she met one like that, dating would run a distant second to a warm cup of coffee and a fresh from the oven cookie.

The shop door rang. Kate headed out front, working a smile to her face. It became a real smile when she saw her grandmother standing behind the counter, sneaking a red devil cupcake from under the glass dome. Kate put out her arms. “Grandma, what a nice surprise.”

Nora laughed as she hugged her granddaughter. “It can’t be that much of a surprise. I’m here almost every day for my sugar fix.”

Kate released Grandma from the hug. “And I’m thrilled that you are.”

Growing up, Kate had spent hours here after school, helping out in the shop and sneaking treats from under the very same glass dome. The sweet tooth came with the family dimples, she thought as she watched her grandmother peel the paper off the cupcake.

“Don’t tell your grandfather I’m sneaking another cupcake,” Nora warned, wagging a finger. “You know he thinks I’m already sweet enough.”

“That’s because he loves you.”

Nora smiled at the mention of her husband. They had the kind of happy marriage so elusive to other people, and so valuable to those blessed with that gift. Unlike Kate’s parents, who had turned fighting into a daily habit, Nora doted on her husband, always had, she said, and always would.

Nora popped a bite of cupcake in her mouth then looked around the shop. “How are things going here?”

“Busy.”

“How’s the hunt for a second location?”

Kate shrugged. “I haven’t done much toward that yet.”

“You had plans—”

“That was before, Grandma. Before…” She shook her head.

Nora laid a hand on Kate’s shoulder. “I understand.”

When Andrew had been alive, buying and opening new locations had been part of their business plan. But ever since he’d died, she’d had to work at keeping to that plan. Months ago, she’d found a spot for a second location in Weymouth, but had yet to visit it or run the numbers, all signs that she wasn’t as enthused as she used to be.

Her grandmother smiled. “I like the idea of another Nora’s Sweet Shop, but I worry about you, honey. If you want to take some time off, I’d be glad to step in and help. Your grandpa, too.”

Kate looked at her eighty-three-year-old grandmother. She knew Nora would step in any time Kate asked her, but she wouldn’t expect or ask that of Nora. “I know you would, and I appreciate that but I’m okay. You guys do enough for me making the daytime deliveries.”

Nora waved that off. “It keeps us busy and gets us out of the house. You know we like tooling around town, stopping in to see the regular customers.”

“You two deserve to enjoy your golden years, not spend them working over a hot oven. Besides, I’m doing fine, Grandma.”

Nora brushed a strand of hair off Kate’s face. “No you’re not.”

Kate nodded, then shook her head, and cursed the tears that rushed to her eyes. “I just…miss him.”

She didn’t add that she regretted, to the depth of her being, ever encouraging her brother to join the military. Maybe if she’d pushed him in another direction, or dismissed the idea of the military, he’d be here today.

Tears shimmered in Nora’s eyes, too. She had doted on her grandson, and though she’d been proud of his military service, she had worried every minute of his deployment. “We all do. But he wouldn’t want you to be sitting around, missing him. If there was one thing your brother did well, it was live his life. Remember the time he went parachuting off that mountain?”

Despite the tears, Kate smiled. Her brother had been a wild child, from the second he was born. He approached life head on—and never looked back. “And the time he skydived for the first time. Oh, and that crazy swim with the sharks trip he took.” Kate shook her head. “He lived on the edge.”

“While the rest of us stayed close to terra firma.” Nora smiled. “But in the end, he always came back home.”

“His heart was here.”

“It was indeed,” Nora said. “And he would want you to be happy, to celebrate your life, not bury it in work.”

Before he left for Afghanistan, Andrew had tried to talk to her about the future. When he’d started on the what-ifs, she’d refused to listen, afraid of what might happen. Now, she regretted that choice. Maybe if she’d heard him out, she might have the secret to his risk taking. Something to urge her down the path they had planned for so long.

Andrew had soared the skies for the rest of them while the other Spencers offered caution, wisdom. She missed that about him, but knew she should also learn from him. Remember that life was short and to live every moment with gusto. Even if doing so seemed impossible some days. Kate swiped away the tears. “I’ll try to remember that.”

“Good.” Nora patted her granddaughter on the shoulder. Then her gaze shifted to the picture window at the front of the shop. She nodded toward the door. “Ooh. Handsome man alert. Did you put on your lipstick?”

Kate laughed. Leave it to Nora to be sure her granddaughter was primped and ready should Mr. Right stride on by. Her grandmother lived in perpetual hope for great grandchildren that she could spoil ten times more than she’d spoiled her grandchildren. “Grandma, I’m not interested in dating right now.”

“I think this guy will change your mind about that. Take a look.”

The door opened and Brody McKenna strode inside. Kate’s heart tripped a little. The doctor’s piercing blue eyes zeroed in on hers, and the world dropped away.

She cleared her throat. “Back for another basket, Doctor?”

Way to go, Kate, establish it as a business only relationship. In the end, the best choice. Hadn’t she watched her parents’ marriage, started on a whim, with major differences in goals and values, disintegrate? She wanted a steady, dependable base, not a man who made her heart race and erased her common sense, regardless of the way Brody’s lopsided smile and ocean blue eyes flipped a switch inside her.

“I just came by to thank you,” he said. “The basket was a big hit. My grandmother sends her regards and her gratitude for the cherry chocolates. Especially those. In fact, I’m under strict orders to buy some more.”

“Those are my favorites, too,” Nora said. She leaned over the counter and put out a hand. “I’m Nora Spencer.”

He smiled. “Ah, the famous Nora in Nora’s Sweet Shop.” He shook hands with her, and Kate swore she saw her eighty-three-year-old grandma blush. “Brody McKenna.”

Nora arched a brow. “You’re a doctor, you said?”

Kate wanted to elbow her grandmother but Nora had already stepped out of reach. Under the counter, she waved her hand, but Grandma ignored the hint.

“Yes, ma’am,” Brody said. “I own a family practice right down the street from here. I took over for Doc Watkins.”

“Oh, I remember him,” Nora said. “Nice guy. Except for when he was losing at golf. Then he was grumpy. Every Wednesday, he played, so I learned never to make an appointment for first thing Thursday morning.”

Brody chuckled. “Yep, you have him down to a tee.”

Kate and her grandmother laughed at the pun. Then Nora tapped her chin, and studied Brody. “Wait…McKenna. Aren’t you that doctor that volunteers all the time? Or something like that? I read about a charity your family heads up. Doctors and Borders or something like that.”

“Medicine Across Borders.” He shifted from foot to foot. “Yes, I’m involved in that. We travel the country and the world, providing volunteer medical help to people in need.”

The name of the organization sounded familiar to Kate, but she figured maybe because she’d seen something in the news about it. Brody McKenna, however, seemed unnerved by talking about the group. His gaze darted to the right, and his posture tensed. Maybe he was one of those men who didn’t like his charity work to be a big deal. A behind the scenes kind of guy.

Nora leaned in closer to him. “So tell me, Doctor McKenna, is there a Mrs. Doctor?”

“Grandma,” Kate hissed. “Stop that.” Still, Kate checked his left hand. No ring. The doctor was a single man. And she didn’t care. At all.

Uh-huh.

“No, ma’am, there isn’t a Mrs. Doctor,” Brody said. “But I am here about a wedding that’s in the near future.”

Disappointment filled Kate. She told herself to quit those thoughts. She’d seen the man once for a few minutes and she didn’t care if he married her next door neighbor or the Queen of England. For goodness sake, she’d turned into an emotional wreck today. And it was only Tuesday.

“I’d be glad to help you with that,” she said, pulling out an order pad and a pen. “What do you need?”

“It’s not for me. It’s for my brother.”