Page 42 of Cupcake of the Month (Just Add Peaches #2)

Josh paced his small kitchen, circling the hanging bag and dodging the table.

Zach’s caseworker was going to be there soon.

It had been over a week since the incident with Zach and his parents, and Josh had already met with the caseworker alone to go over what had happened. Katrina’s visit was standard. Expected.

Didn’t make it any easier.

“Josh. Stop moving around,” Zach said. His fingers beat out an uneven rhythm on the table. “You’re making me nervous.”

“Yeah, okay.” Josh sat down. He wished Jordan was there.

Not just for her calm presence, but because, well, he missed her.

Ms. Eulalee had returned from Paris a few days ago, and stepped smoothly back into her role and Fountenoy Hall.

Josh hadn’t seen Jordan since then. Hadn’t texted. Let her have a clean break.

He sprung up again. “Do you want some eggs? Let me make you some eggs.”

Jordan had remained at the Hall since she hadn’t had to return home in a rush.

Her presence brightened the kitchen every morning.

The way she laughed, lighting the room around her.

The way she helped her friends, silently showing her support for their work and family.

The way she made him feel with a glance or touch.

Not that there had been anything more than a casual hand on his arm.

“Geez, sit down already.” Zach tapped the extra chair as if to remind Josh of its existence.

“I could make cupcakes.” He tugged opened the pantry’s bifold door and pulled out the flour. “Peanut butter. Your favorite.”

“But Katrina might think you’re not providing me with the correct nutrition, forcing me to live off baked goods.”

“You’re right.” Shit, why hadn’t he thought of that? He shoved the flour back on the shelf.

“Oh, my God, I was kidding! What’s wrong with you?”

Everything.

He’d had his chance anytime in the past two months to confess everything to Jordan and prove his trust in her. But he hadn’t yet learned how to trust himself.

Now it was too late.

A knock sounded on the door and he scrambled to open it so Katrina didn’t have to wait.

She wore a light grey suit, her reddish hair neatly pulled back with a headband, and wore a backpack hitched over one shoulder.

A comforting smile filled her face as Josh led her into the small apartment. “Hi, Josh. Zach.”

“Have a seat.” Josh gestured to the empty chair. “Can I get you something to drink? Water, I mean. Can I get you some water? We also have milk. And orange juice. All part of a balanced and nutritious breakfast.”

“Or you could have a cupcake.” Zach said. The little brat.

“No, thank you,” Katrina said. “Actually, I’d like to talk with you, Zach.”

“You would?” Zach asked. He bit is lower lip and glanced at Josh.

Josh patted his brother on the shoulder. “Yeah, okay. That’s fine.”

“Good. Come on, Zach, let’s head outside. It’s gorgeous out there.”

Josh swallowed the fear rising up in his chest as they stepped over the threshold. Going outside was normal. It wasn’t like she was going to throw Zach in a car and zoom off with him. There was no place for privacy in the apartment that also kept the rules of propriety. “See you soon, buddy.”

He let out a slow breath as he closed the door behind them.

The silence in the apartment crept around him and he paced to his makeshift nightstand to pick a book to read. He grazed his fingers down the spine of a few of the classics, stopping when he got to the end of his stack. Nothing he could do would take his mind off Zach.

Restlessness propelled him around the apartment. He stopped at the heavy bag. He could go a few rounds, but then maybe Katrina would think the fight with Clint in the airport terminal wasn’t a one-time thing. He could bake, but Zach’s warning replayed in his mind.

He thumbed the curtain away from the window and searched the lawn, but they weren’t in his line of sight.

Ah, screw it. His mind could conjure up a whole slew of reasons for her to take Zach away. One tin of cupcakes wouldn’t make a difference. He pulled down the flour and sugar from the pantry.

The front door bell sounded, causing him to flinch at the sudden noise. Judgement time. Josh smacked the buzzer, then got some peanut butter while he estimated how long it would take them to climb the three flights of stairs.

He opened the door at the right time and his breathing hitched.

Jordan stood in the hallway, hand raised in a fist, hair in its customary bun with loose strands framing her face, glasses perched on her nose. His heart thumped hard in his chest.

His body cried out to pull her against him and never let her go. For once he listened.

He pulled her close, letting go of the stresses and worries that held him back so many times. Her body melded to his. She knew everything, and still she stood in his doorway.

An unexpected happiness sent a jolt through him. He released her and smiled. “Hi.”

“Hi,” she said. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine. Come in.” He stepped back, his nerves swerving around. If he was going to hold on to the way she made him feel, he had to be willing to share himself. “Zach’s with his caseworker. Can you come in here and act normal for a while?”

“When has that ever been possible with you around?”

“Heh. Good point.”

She glanced around the small apartment. “This is nice.”

“It’s home. My real home.” Years of hiding and pretending made the words difficult to say. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Were you making something?” Jordan pointed to the ingredients on the counter.

“Oh. Yeah.” He picked up the peanut butter.

She ran a hand up and down her opposite arm. “I came by to tell you I’m heading back home tomorrow. For good, this time. Now that the lawsuit is over, it’s time I return to reality.”

The oxygen fled his lungs at the finality of her words. If she had stayed, there’d be a chance he’d see her somewhere, and start over. Start again. Start fresh. “Wendy and Brandi. They don’t need you at the Hall?”

“Not anymore. Hiring Paul freed up Wendy’s time.”

“What about Mrs. McGraw?”

“It was fun and interesting, but it was always temporary.” She moved away and gave the heavy bag a little push. “She needs someone local.”

“Right.” He scooped peanut butter into a bowl, trying not to stare at her from the corner of his eye, then leveled off the flour. “I’ll…miss you, Jay.”

The words hovered in the air between them until she gave him a soft smile. “Yeah. Me, too.”

A light, pleasant laugh came from outside the door and careened his feelings one-eighty degrees. A vice centered on his chest and tightened as he struggled to take deep breath.

“That sounds good,” Jordan said. “The laughing?”

Zach and his caseworker entered the apartment. “Thank you, Zach,” said Katrina. “I’ve enjoyed playing chess with you. You clearly have skill with the game.”

“Oh, hey, Jordan,” Zach said. “I didn’t know you were coming by.”

“Jordan.” The caseworker’s eyebrows drew down and she took a tablet out of her backpack. “Shoenover?”

“Yes.”

“I’m Katrina Copplemeier.” She shook Jordan’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you. You helped find Zach.”

Jordan flashed a look to Josh. “I suppose so.”

“Who has learned his lesson.” She frowned at the younger boy.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Okay. Go scoot along while I talk to your brother.”

Zach darted to his room, not closing the door.

Katrina raised her eyebrows, but sat down at the table. “So. He found his parents in the most spectacular way.”

“Yeah.” Josh ran a hand across the back of his neck.

“You know my thoughts on the matter.”

“Turns out you were right. I should have explained things much sooner.”

“What do you think about this, Jordan?” Katrina asked. “I was going to contact you anyway. How fortunate that you’re here.”

Her eyes widened in surprise. “Me?”

“Are you and Josh dating?”

“Um…I’m heading back home tomorrow.”

The perfect non-answer.

“Somewhere up north, right?”

“Connecticut.”

“Brrrr. Too cold for me.” Katrina shivered, then regarded Josh with a level stare. “Is Jordan’s departure going to be another loss for Zach to deal with?”

“No, ma’am.” It would be a loss for Josh.

“I met him only a couple of times,” Jordan offered. “He won’t miss me.”

“You were there at the airport. In the room when he was being interviewed by the FBI. He told me he likes you and hopes you hang around,” Katrina said. “But he won’t miss you?”

Jordan shoved her hands in the back pockets of her jeans. “While I won’t physically be here, we can Skype if he wants to.” She gave Josh a quick glance before refocusing on Katrina. “I’ll miss him.”

“Thank you, Jordan,” said Katrina. “All right, Josh. Your turn. Want a minute to say goodbye?”

“Ms. Copplemeier.” Jordan’s voice cut through the haze in his mind.

“Katrina, please.”

“Katrina, I’d like add something, if I may.”

“Of course.”

“Zach’s a good kid. He wouldn’t be that way if Josh hadn’t been a good guardian to him.

Josh has made so many sacrifices, both in his personal and professional life, so Zach wouldn’t feel abandoned.

With every choice that he makes, every choice, he takes Zach’s thoughts and feelings into consideration first.”

Josh blinked in surprise. After all he’d done and said to her, Jordan was still pleading his case? A steady beat cut through the desperation.

“Jordan,” Katrina began.

Jordan cut her off. “I feel you have to know this. Josh won’t tell you himself because sometimes he forgets we can’t read his mind. He’s Zach’s best possible advocate. It would be to his detriment if you took him away from his only family, who loves him more than his own self.”

“Jordan,” Katrina tried again.

“I’m sorry if I’m overstepping my bounds, but I feel very strongly about this.”

“You said you’ve only met Zach a couple of times.” The caseworkers tone was wry, not censuring.

“But I’ve known Josh forever,” she said.

His chest tightened with her words. Forever. She hadn’t been afraid of her feelings, had tried to show him and tell him. She never saw in him what he saw in himself.