Page 18 of Macaron Massacre
“Follow Everett’s stalker? No, thank you. I say let the stalking pieces fall where they may.”
I bend over and give Toby’s adorable fuzzy face a hearty embrace. “Your daddy is funny,” I say, kissing him on the forehead. Toby is a reddish-blonde golden retriever who always seems to have a smile on his face for me, and I love him just as much as I love my own fur babies, Pancake and Waffles. “Ooh, before I forget, I made something for you.”
I quickly jump behind the counter and bag up a dozen tasty treats for my favorite pooch.
Noah looks into the bag, and his dimples invert, no smile. “These look like dog biscuits.”
“They are. They’re a part of my newcookies for petsendeavor. They have no sugar, and they’re only made with the best ingredients.”
Noah tips his head to the side, and if I didn’t know better, I’d say he were bedroom eyeing me. “How about a couple of chocolate chip cookies for his father?” he teases.
I box them up while both Cormack and Britney come in for the kill.
“Where are we off to?” Cormack wraps her arms around him as if she were the one wearing his wedding ring.
Britney is quick to peel her off. “You’re coming with me,” she tells her before kissing Noah on the lips, and I cringe. Even if she is the only one that has the right to do that, it still makes my blood boil to see anyone go for those lips but me. “Cormack is helping me launch a new Swift Cycle gym out in Fallbrook. I’m afraid you’ll be seeing less and less of her for the next few weeks. She’ll be that busy.”
I give Britney a covert thumbs-up.
Way to get Cormack as far away from Honey Hollow as possible.
But Cormack is quick to laugh it off. “I’m still staying at the B&B, and, of course, I have my dog walking duties to tend to. Don’t worry, Brit Brit, I’ll hire out a crew to help out with the gym.”
Brit growls like a lion ready for the kill. “We’ll see about that.” She snaps Cormack up by the hand and dashes out into the sunny Honey Hollow afternoon with her.
“So, where are the two of you off to?” I ask Noah as the café begins to clear out.
“We’re headed out to Honey Lake to have a picnic—with you.”
Chapter 7
There is nothing more magical than sitting on a quilt just inches from Honey Lake in June. The air is perfumed with lavender and verbena, and the tourists are scattered along the shores on the far end of the lake, splashing and sunning themselves on the brown sugar sand. The lake is a deep navy that spans approximately seven miles east to west, is about two and a half miles at its widest, and the fact it’s surrounded by evergreens gives it that magical appeal.
Noah tosses a tennis ball out past the sand, and Toby retrieves it dutifully and runs right back.
“The food was delicious,” I say, closing up the box of pizza we picked up from Mangias. Back when Noah and I were hot and heavy, we ate our weight in pizza from this place.
“The cookies were a hit with both Toby and me.” Noah falls back onto his elbows. “So a baby, huh?”
A dull laugh pumps from me. “Rumor has it, I started a rumor.”
Noah rolls onto one side as those verdant green eyes of his bear hard into mine. Each time Noah looks at me this way, I can feel his pain regarding our abrupt breakup. He’s made it clear he just sees this as a rough patch in our relationship and has decided to turn a blind eye to my bed-hopping with Everett.
“I would be honored to have kids with you one day, Lottie. An entire gaggle of children. And I believe in my heart, that will happen for us one day soon.”
A moment of thick silence fills the space between us.
“Immaculate conception?” I can’t help but tease. “I’m pretty sure your wife would frown upon just about any other manner.”
Noah frowns himself in response. “I’m almost through with the court mandated counseling. And then hopefully it’s full steam ahead. Britney still thinks she can mold me into her version of my perfect self. What she doesn’t realize is that I’m perfectly happy with who I am.”
“I sort of like who you are, too.” I give his foot a playful tap. “I bumped into Britney last month, and she told me all about how she wishes you were building gyms right beside her. I guess she’s not so hot about you trotting around with a weapon strapped to your back.”
“Among other things. But Britney was a serial cheater. Her string of boyfriends ended our marriage years ago. She’s only doing this to make me miserable. She doesn’t want me back, and, even if she did, it’s not happening. Honestly, I think she gets a thrill out of goading both you and Cormack.”
I groan at the sound of the C word. “Why did you have to say her name? That woman is like a pesky poltergeist. Once she hears your voice echo her name, she’ll be here in minutes.”
“Well, then I’d better spill what I came to say before she gets here.” Noah sits up and takes both my hands in his. A sad smile forces his dimples to dig in deep. “Lottie, I’m so angry at myself for botching everything up between us. I plan on spending the rest of my life making it up to you.” He leans over and lands a kiss to my forehead. “After what Nell told you about having children one day, it got me thinking. I want more than anything to be the father of those children. I know that our situation isn’t ideal and that you’ve moved on—temporarily, I’m hoping—but I guess what I’m trying to say is, I still want us, Lot. And as soon as my divorce is final, Everett better watch his back because I’m going to kick him to the curb.”