Sisters by Choice (Blackberry Island #4)(83)

He grinned. “I know. It’s okay. You’ll come around. It’s only a matter of time until your baser instincts overcome your competitive reluctance.”

She didn’t like that, so she ignored it. “Why do you care what I think? Why don’t you tell me to go pound sand?”

“Go pound sand?” He chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever said that.”

“But you get the point.”

“I do.” He moved closer and put his hands back on her shoulders. This time when he leaned in to kiss her, she let him. Their mouths brushed.

When he straightened, he said, “I’m crazy about you. Haven’t you figured that out?”

Crazy about her? What did that even mean? “I, ah, appreciate you getting her a room at the inn. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Anything else?”

“Not really.”

His eyes brightened with humor. “You’re going to leave now, aren’t you?”

She nodded. “I should get home to check on the kittens.”

His humor faded. “One day you’re going to stop running from me. Just a heads-up. I’ll be here for you when that happens.”

More words that didn’t make sense, she thought, scurrying for the front door. She wasn’t running away. She was making the best use of her time. The kittens needed her.

  Signing a three-year lease on the downtown bakery space took a lot less time than Kristine would have thought. She handed over the check, took her copy of the keys and that was that.

Stacey had been pleasant, chatting during the brief meeting. As if this sort of thing happened all the time. Kristine supposed that for her, it did, but she kept waiting for someone to burst in, demanding to know if her husband was aware of what she was doing.

In the end, the whole event was relatively anticlimactic. Twenty minutes after she was done, she opened the door to what had once been the Blackberry Island Bakery and walked inside.

As she’d seen the space less than a week ago, there weren’t any surprises. The display cases were exactly where they had been and the flooring was just as in need of replacement. In the back, the cabinets looked as they had.

She turned in a slow circle, trying to breathe it all in. She’d done it. She’d signed a lease and now this space was hers. She’d already talked to Jerry, her contractor, and gone over the changes. He was going to fit her in around other jobs and would need about a month to complete all the work. That gave her enough time to buy mixers and cookie sheets and other supplies, and figure out a grand-opening date.

Her excitement was tempered by a strong sense of loss. She wanted Jaxsen to be here with her. She’d promised the boys they could come by later and explore the place. While they were excited for her, even JJ, it wasn’t the same as having Jaxsen around. He was her husband—shouldn’t he be sharing this with her?

Had she done the right thing? Maybe she should have waited and—

“No,” she said aloud. “This is where I should be.”

She went to check out the rest of the building. The storeroom would need shelves, she thought. Cabinets would be nice, but shelves were a whole lot cheaper.

“Kristine, honey, where are you?”

The familiar voice surprised her. “Sophie?”

She hurried to the front of the store and found her cousin waiting there, a tote bag in one hand.

“You did it!” Sophie crowed. “I’m so proud of you.” She pulled a bottle of champagne out of the tote and held it up. “We are going to celebrate.”

Kristine raised her eyebrows. “It’s eleven in the morning.”

“So? We party when something good happens and this is great.”

Sophie set the champagne on the counter, then pulled out two glasses and two mason jars filled with what looked like deconstructed cake.

“Cupcakes,” Sophie said, pushing one toward her. “I ordered them online. I thought they might be something you could offer, as well. But maybe not. Either way, we need something to go with our champagne.”

She unwrapped the foil and popped the cork, then poured them each a glass. They sat on the chairs that had been left behind and Sophie raised her glass.

“Did you create an LLC?” she asked.

Kristine grinned. “Yes.” She’d created her limited liability corporation before she’d signed the lease. “And I have my federal tax ID number.”

“And insurance?”

“Yes, Sophie. I have insurance, a contractor, a lease and three very excited boys.”

Sophie grinned. “Congratulations. To my cousin, the business mogul. May you exceed your wildest dreams.”

“Thank you.”

They touched glasses.

Kristine took a sip. “How did you know I signed the lease?”

“I asked Stacey to tell me when it happened. I knew you’d come here right after, so I was ready.”

“Just waiting with champagne and cupcakes?”

“Once I knew when the appointment was, I got ready.” Sophie smiled at her. “This is so great. Are you scared?”

“A little. It’s a big step.”

“You’re ready. You’ve been preparing for years, and I mean that literally. You’ve thought of everything.”

Everything except doing it without Jaxsen’s support.