Edible

17

It was Thursday morning, and the sun was shining down through the shop window. If Rachel was honest, she was feeling pretty fantastic. As she stood behind the counter, arranging a vase of calla lilies, she thought back to last night with a smile.

When they had finally reached Cole’s bedroom, he had made good on his promise, and he had effectively made her forget what it was like to ever be apart from him. He had also managed to chase all the demons from her sleep. She had no doubt it had to do with the fact that he had wrapped her up in his arms and held her all night.

The man has such a wonderful soft side to him—like that look I keep seeing, the one he shows when he thinks I’m not looking. Hmm…

Tonight was the night of the function down at the Shedd Aquarium. She’d already arranged with Mason to have the night off at Exquisite, so she was going to close the shop early to get her hair done.

She’d also decided to go ahead and hire Katie.

She’s perfect. So what if it’s quick and impulsive? I like her, so it’s completely justifiable, she thought as she imagined Mason ruminating over the reasons for looking at several other candidates.

Placing the vase in the back display cabinet, Rachel moved around the shop, singing one of the old songs her father used to love. Of course, she was adding her own personal flair just for fun.

“Stars shinin’ bright above me.” She started as she hummed Dream a Little Dream Of Me.

Picking up the broom, she found herself twirling it in her hand as she was possibly—actually, definitely—dancing with it.

Oh god, Rachel thought as she stopped abruptly. He’s reduced me to moon-eyed teenage girl!

“Ahh, the classics. Mama Cass. Don’t stop on my account. Please continue.”

Spinning around on her toes, Rachel snapped her mouth shut as she came face-to-face with Josh. She was not pleased to see him standing just inside the shop door, bearing witness to her horrible pseudo-singing audition. With his shoulder propped against a display stand, he was staring at her with one annoyingly amused grin.

“What are you doing here, Josh?” she demanded as she leaned the broom handle up against the wall. “And how did I not hear the bells on the door?”

“I’m stealthy?” he offered as he moved closer. “Or maybe you were singing so loudly and dancing around the place that you didn’t notice?”

Rachel shook her head and placed her hands on her hips.

“Look, smartass, I’m in a really good mood, so don’t come in here with another warning or lecture about Cole. Okay?”

Josh took his hands out of his jeans pockets as he moved closer toward her. Raising them in the universal sign of surrender, he chuckled and cocked his head to the side. “I come in peace, especially if he’s the reason you’re so happy. Relax, would you? Does Madison know how quick you are to defend him?”

Rachel tipped up her chin to face her lifelong friend, and then she finally gave him a slow grin. “No, and don’t you tell him either. He doesn’t need to know he’s turned me into a silly girl.”

Josh reached out and slung an arm around her in a one-arm hug, tugging her in close. “You? A silly girl? Never. You have always had impeccable taste.”

Jamming a soft elbow to his side, Rachel laughed as she looked him in the eye. “Yeah, I do, don’t I?”

“Well, definitely at first. I mean, nothing is as pure as a wide-eyed innocent girl’s first love.”

Rachel bumped her hip to his. “Is that right, Daniels? Who was Shel’s first love?”

“That’s different,” he answered immediately.

As he removed his arm, Rachel made her way to the counter with him following.

“Really?”

“Yes. Shelly knew nothing before me.”

“Oh, of course. How could she?”

Placing his hands on the counter, Josh leaned forward with a huge smirk. “Exactly.”

Rachel crossed her arms over her chest and decided, What the hell? She dived right in. “Alright, Josh, what do you want? Did Mason send you?”

Rachel could just imagine the conversations surrounding her and Cole at the moment.

“No, no. This has nothing to do with Mason. I just wanted to stop by and see how you are doing. You know I have always worried about you, even before Cole.”

Relaxing her arms down by her side, Rachel couldn’t help the soft smile she gave to the man with the kind eyes, shaggy brown hair, and the warmest smile she had ever seen. “You’re pretty special, you know that, right?”

Josh raised a brow as his lips quirked. “Special meaning?”

“Good, loyal, sweet.”

“You make me sound like Mutley minus the dog slobber,” he pointed out lightly.

“No, you sound like a good man, and that’s what you are. Even as a kid, you were always good.”

Josh shook his head as he rested against the counter. “Well, I think you must be forgetting about all the times Mason and I got our asses chewed out by your parents and mine.”

“No, I’m not. You did both get into a lot of trouble though, didn’t you? But what I mean is with me and other girls. You were always a good guy, a guy that girls could rely on to not be a jerk.”

“Rachel, you’re remembering me through the eyes of a teenage crush.” He chuckled and shook his head. “There are plenty of girls who would disagree, I’m sure.”

“God, I had the biggest crush on you,” she admitted, rolling her eyes. “I was so into you. I even remember a day when we all went swimming down by the lake. I think I was thirteen, and Mom asked me if I liked you. I was so embarrassed.”

Reaching across the counter, Rachel placed her palm over the hand he had left there. “She would be thrilled to see you so happy with Shelly. I wish…” Rachel trailed off and looked up at familiar understanding eyes.

“You wish what?” Josh urged.

Squeezing his hand, Rachel whispered, “I wish we all could have said good-bye.”

Josh turned his hand over on the counter, and in a comforting gesture, he wrapped his fingers around hers. “Me, too, Rach. Me, too.”

Rachel made her way up the grassy bank to where her mother was sitting, looking down at the two teenage boys who were currently splashing each other in the lake. When she stopped in front of the blanket, her mother patted the spot beside her, gesturing for Rachel to join her.

“Sit with me?” her mom asked as she smiled up at her.

Rachel kicked off her bright red flip-flops and kneeled down beside her.

“You didn’t want to go in with the boys?” her mother questioned as she raised her hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

Rachel thought about that for a moment and quickly shook her head. There was no way she was taking off her shorts and top and getting in the water with him there. Why did Mason have to invite him anyway?

“Rach?”

Turning her eyes back to her mom’s, Rachel tried for a convincing smile. “No, Mom. I don’t want to swim today.”

That’s a complete lie. As the sun kissed the back of her neck, there was nothing she wanted more. That had all changed though when the boys had taken off their shirts and raced each other into the water.

Instead, Rachel found herself staring at the brown-haired boy currently roughhousing with her brother. She decided there was no way she was baring her flat-chested thirteen-year-old self in her bathing suit to him. She couldn’t decide what was more annoying—the fact that she was still flat as a board or the thought that one day she’d have boobs. Some days, she hated being a girl.

“Are you okay?” her mom asked, leaning into her with a little shoulder-to-shoulder bump. “You’ve been really quiet, which is not like you at all.”

Rachel turned to look at her mom and bit her bottom lip. It was so hard, not having a sister to talk to about boys, and there was no way she was bringing this up with Mase.

“It’s Mason’s friend, isn’t it?” her mom whispered conspiratorially.

Rachel felt her eyes widen as her heart started to beat erratically.

“No!” Rachel denied emphatically.

Her mother chuckled and reached out to push a piece of hair behind Rachel’s ear.

“It’s okay if it is, Rach. It’s normal to look at boys and think they’re cute.”

“I don’t think anything!” Rachel stressed, becoming flustered. In the back of her mind though, all she could remember was the way he smiled at her. Oh yes, she definitely thought he was cute.

“Well, no matter if you do or don’t, it’s completely normal. But remember, he is Mason’s friend, and he is older than you.”

“Mom!” Rachel whined, feeling her face heating up. Why is Mom still talking? Is she determined to embarrass me?

“Alright, alright. I will keep your secret.”

Crossing her arms in front of her, Rachel pouted and rolled her eyes in the way all thirteen year olds do. “There is no secret, Mom.”

“Sure there isn’t, love. Is that why you giggle every time he talks to you?”

“Do not.”

“Do, too,” her mom replied with a mischievous grin. “But don’t worry. I won’t tell.”

Rachel looked back down to the river where her brother and his new friend were now climbing out of the water. She stared at the lanky boy beside Mason, and as he raised his hand to push it through his hair, she felt her cheeks redden. Rachel looked away only to see her mom chuckling at her.

“I promise not to tell,” she repeated with a soft look as she brushed gentle fingertips over Rachel’s cheek.

Rachel lowered her eyes quickly. Her mom always knew everything. Would there ever come a day when I will to? She doubted it. As her mom reached across the blanket and squeezed her hand, Rachel thought about how lucky she was to have such a great mother. She couldn’t imagine life without her.

“Promise?”

“It’s our secret, Rach. I promise.”

That was the first time she fell for a boy.

“And what about you?”

Josh’s voice pulled Rachel from her memory, reminding her of the reason they were talking in the first place.

“What about me?”

“Are you happy? With Cole?”

Rachel narrowed her eyes. “It’s only been a few days, Josh.”

Josh looked her over and waited patiently.

What is it with the men in my life? All of them are so damn patient. Well, except Mason.

“Are you seriously asking me this?”

“Well, do you blame me? You’ve been acting different lately, and Shelly mentioned how you all first met him.”

“Oh, she did, did she? What exactly did she say?”

“Come on, Rach. Don’t get mad at Shel.”

Raising a brow, Rachel sighed. “Okay, okay. At first, I was unsure about him.”

“At first?”

“Yes. At first,” she stressed. “But now, I’ve gotten to know him.”

“You have?”

“Yes. Why? Don’t you know him? He’s your friend,” she decided to point out.

“Well, yeah, he’s my lawyer and a friend, but I don’t actually know him personally.”

Rachel thought about the serious lawyer who had somehow crept deep inside her tightly locked heart and had pretty much broken down all her walls just the night before.

“Yeah, that seems like Cole. He’s very…” Rachel searched for the right word and ended with, “Private.”

“He’s a cagey bastard,” Josh retorted.

Rachel found herself chuckling. “He’s composed.”

“He’s distant.”

“He’s just different from you and Mase, so you both feel like you have to stick your noses in.”

“He’s reluctant to let people in, Rach, and that makes me wonder why.”

Rachel shook her head. “I told you. No gloomy warnings. I like him, and I want to see where that takes me.”

Josh straightened and winked at her as he pushed his hands back into his pockets. “If it helps you to be less annoyed at him, Mason told me yesterday that he was happy to see you smiling last night at the restaurant. That has to mean something, right?”

Rachel watched Josh turn and walk to the front door.

“Josh!”

He stopped and turned to face her.

“It helps, and I should have said this months ago, but I’m so glad you finally came home.”

“To Chicago?”

Rachel grinned and told him sincerely, “No, Daniels. To us.”