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Their shoes crunching on the loose gravel lining part of the asphalt road, Levi enjoyed being outdoors for the first time that day. The late afternoon sun shone down on them, the slight breeze cooling down the muggy weather. It’d probably rain later that night. It was steamy.
Connor replied to Levi’s question, saying, “I’ve picked up my rental. It’s as bad as your piece of shit.” Levi could just picture the smirk on Connor’s face as he rolled his eyes. “I got my phone and just finished getting my tat. Now I’m hungry. Wanna get some food?”
Levi looked at his watch. “Katy should be finished soon too. Was planning on going past her shop on my way home. We can pick her up and grab a pizza down the beach if you like?”
“No worries, I’ll meet you there,” Connor replied happily. The line clicked off and Levi smiled.
“I’d say that smile was for Katy, but….” Sam trailed off.
“It was Con, my best mate. He’s finally home for good.”
“He’s the one who was serving in the Middle East, wasn’t he?”
“Yeah.” Levi couldn’t help but smile again. He’d done a lot of that during filming too. What wasn’t there to be happy about? Of course, he was a little confused if his reaction that morning was anything to go by. But he was wholeheartedly choosing to ignore the niggling in his gut that there had been some kind of fundamental shift in him. Things that he’d been trying to deny for a long-arsed time had seemed to click into place the night before with an ease that scared him. There were parts about himself he wasn’t sure he wanted to give voice to yet, or ever. Things that would, no doubt, affect a lot more people than just him.
He pulled his car into the small strip of shops housing Delectable, Katy’s cake shop and bakery. She’d started the little shop three years ago, and it’d grown in leaps and bounds since then. Learning her art from the best pastry chefs in the south-east, she quickly found her passion. It wasn’t luck that’d made her such a roaring success. No, it was the hours she spent labouring away, perfecting each element of every cake she’d ever made. It didn’t take long for her reputation to grow, leap-frogging her to the number one wedding cake bakery on the Gold Coast. And while she was working on growing that aspect of Delectable, she and Dylan, her new pastry chef, had managed to addict every person within a ten-minute drive of the shop to their delicate sweet tarts and cakes, and complex flavour combinations of the specialty macaroons they baked.
The building housing Katy’s shop wasn’t anything special, pretty nondescript actually—a single-storey, deep-red brick structure with white awnings. The handcrafted signs adorning those awnings and random collection of businesses somehow gave the centre a quirky character and irresistible charm. Who would have thought that a bottle-o, newsagent, a boutique dress store, antique furniture and Delectable would work? Katy had known it was the right spot the moment she’d seen it. And it hadn’t let her down.
Unlocking the door to Delectable was like entering gustatory heaven. The cakes Katy baked were always to die for and the shop smelled just like her: sweet, with hints of vanilla and chocolate. Levi crossed the consultation area on his way to Katy’s work area. The candy-striper feel to the waiting room was perfect for the shop. Decorated with light and dark pink satin striped wallpaper, the walls contrasted against the black couch and silver floor rug. The soft light from the understated chandelier and warm oak flooring gave the room some class. He loved it there. It was totally Katy, totally her work—feminine, bold, sexy, and sophisticated.
He paused to admire the latest mock cake before the window. The four tiers covered with preservative-laced icing was designed to look like it was draped in silver satin. Tiny roses, so intricate in their detail, ran along the base of each tier, each one a piece of art in itself. Love flooded his chest, leaving a warm tingly feeling in its wake. His girl had achieved her dream, and he was damn proud of everything she’d done. The awards, thank-you letters, and photos hanging on one of the walls showed just how much her hard work had paid off.
Levi headed to the back of the store, letting himself in through the pin-code protected door to see Katy. Unlike the consultation area, the kitchen she spent most of her time in was monotone—gleaming floor-to-ceiling stainless steel. Katy stood along a stretch of bench working on a partially completed cake which sat on a small trolley, her pastry tools on the only part of the workspace which hadn’t been cleaned yet. Her eyes flicked up to his, and they held, Katy flashing him a grin before she turned her attention back to her project. Levi paused to admire her in her element, watching as she smoothed out a fold in the icing. The latest masterpiece she was working on was coming along. The sketch pinned to the wall showed him what the final design would look like—a champagne-coloured round hat box covered in a bow almost the same size as the cake. There was another sketch showing the detail on the brooch—silver antique filigree and pearl—pinned to the centre of the bow. Once finished, the walls of the cake would be covered in what looked like lace and crystals, which he knew from experience would be delicately sweet and crunchy.
He couldn’t resist going to her then. Wrapping his arms around Katy’s waist from behind, he kissed her temple. “You know, every time I pass through the front of the shop, I wanna tell you just how amazing you are.”
“Feel free to. Can’t hurt the ego.” She leaned into his touch and tilted her head back to meet his lips in a soft kiss, never losing the goofy smile she wore.
“You are, you know? Amazing.” Levi brought a hand up to her face and ran the backs of his fingers along her cheek. Looking into her bright blue eyes, he marvelled at how perfect she was. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” Katy smiled, and his brain melted. She was beautiful. Tiny and feisty, crazy talented and, although a little piece of him wanted to beat his chest and growlmine,the truth was, he was hers.
“Have a good day?” he asked, resting his hands on her hips.
“It was good. The two cakes for this Saturday’s weddings were delivered okay. This one is for Sunday afternoon, so I’ve got a little time up my sleeve to finish it off.” She dropped the tiny spatula she was working with and stretched out the kinks in her neck.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Levi smiled and nipped the exposed skin on her throat, licking away the sting. “Was thinking we’re about due to have a day at the beach.”
Katy hummed contentedly. “I’d love that. Have you asked Connor yet?”
“No, he hasn’t.” Connor’s voice startled both of them as he leaned over the counter where the register was.When did he get here?“But I’d love to come, unless I’m gate crashing.” Levi may have been surprised, but the spark of… something—excitement, happiness, heck who knew—from seeing Connor surprised Levi more. Ignoring it, he smiled.
Connor motioned around the shop. “Can I take a walk around?”
“Sure, I’ll give you a tour.” Katy smiled again, glowing with happiness as she moved to the door Levi had just entered through. Levi loved seeing her like that—radiant, excited about finally having Connor see her business after all the renovations. It was a strange sense of satisfaction that he got knowing it was Connor’s return, not him that had done it.How screwed up is that?
“This place is amazing, Cupcake.” The wonder in Connor’s tone as he surveyed the space was exactly the same as Levi’s reaction every time he walked through. “The refurb looks great.”
Levi smiled as Katy took Con’s hand and led him around, giving him the story of how the expansion came to be. Her cousin Nick fronted up the money. She’d be able to pay him back in a few months when she turned twenty-five and came into her trust fund, but Nick wouldn’t insist on it—he had seen something in her when she’d confessed her dream to do wedding cakes full time. So he’d stepped in and given her the push to break out on her own. Katy had worked hard to prove his instinct right by building the business, taking on Dylan so he could bake the everyday line of sweets, and Ashton, the budding pro-surfer, to work the checkout.
They re-entered the kitchen and Levi was still smiling. It turned into a laugh when Connor’s belly rumbled loudly. He flushed red and smiled at them sheepishly. “Sorry, haven’t eaten much today.”
“Here, take one of these. They’re good.” Katy tossed him one of the last two muffins. “It’s banana and oat bran, no added sugar.” Katy moved over to the trolley and wheeled it into the cold room. “I’m just about done here. Gimme five to clean up and we can go and get dinner.”
“Can I have the other muffin?” Levi called out to her retreating form.
“Help yourself. It’s blueberry.”
