The Perfect Mix (Keller Weddings Book 1) (20 page)

“They’re waiting for us,” she said.

“I really don’t think that was enough to tide me over.”

She lifted her hands with a grin. “I don’t know what to tell you.”

“I might not be able to make it to the end of the night,” he warned, blocking her with his arm again. “Just saying. I can’t be held responsible for what I do in front of your family if you don’t give me something else here.”

Lips curved, she rose on her toes, her body just a breath from his, and kissed him. She expected it when his arms came around her, and let herself get lost in the kiss for a moment. His hard body pressed against hers, his fingers winding into her hair, her hands locked around his neck.

Then she danced away, laughter lodged in her chest. “That should buy me a few hours.”

“But–”

“No. Hands off. I gave you what you wanted.”

And it was what she wanted, too. What she’d wanted all day.

Someone rounded the corner, and she blew out a breath when it wasn’t any one of her siblings.

“Come to my place tonight,” he suggested, following her back to the table.

“I…”

“Yeah.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Never mind.”

“Beckett. I’m sorry.”

Before he could say anything else, Eli caught their attention at the dart boards. “Anna! You and Beckett against me and Jillian.”

She glanced up, relieved when Beckett smiled at her. “You know how bad I suck at darts.”

“I’ll be your teacher. We got this.” Beckett brushed her arm with his and lowered his voice so only she could hear. “Just so you know, I’m probably going to have to be pretty close to show you how to do this.”

She tipped her chin up to meet his eyes, feeling playful. “Bring it on.”

Eli threw first, hitting the twenty three times in a row.

“You practiced while I was in the bathroom,” Anna said.

He shrugged. “Not my fault you took so long.”

Jillian stepped up next to her when Beckett threw his darts. “You do know this is just so they can compete against each other without seeming like they’re competing.”

Anna smiled at her. “I know. It’s nice to be out with everyone, though.”

“It is.”

A new song came over the speakers, someone hit a pool ball behind her, and she heard laughter from their table where Poppy and Summer sat. It seemed so normal. Like everything might finally be settling down. And Beckett fit right in. With her family. In her life.

After Jillian threw her darts, Beckett passed her the set they shared. “We need a twenty,” he said. “So their team can’t score on us.”

She looked from her line on the floor all the way to the twenty on the board. “You seriously expect me to be that accurate?”

“You’re the one who said you had steady hands.”

He stepped closer and her heart raced. Her gaze flicked to Eli and Jillian, who waited for her to throw.

“I think, uh…” Anna flashed Beckett a smile. “I think you’re going to have to show me how to stand.”

He set his hands on her hips, fingers squeezing tight enough to send a flicker of need through her. “Straight. With this foot here. Focus.”

She lifted her chin, turning her head so their faces were only inches apart. “And how to aim.”

She saw him swallow and barely held in a smile. This time he cupped his hand under her elbow and positioned her arm.

“You don’t want to pull back too far,” he said, voice low. “You just want to–”

“Come on, throw it already,” Eli said, grinning at them.

Anna threw the first dart and completely missed the board. She glanced back and wrinkled her nose at Beckett like she actually thought she was going to make it. “I think I need more help.”

He laughed. “I think you do, too. And, by the way, I know what you’re doing.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said.

“Just keep going, then. I like it.”

This time she laughed. She lifted her arm to throw again when Jillian muttered, “Oh, shit.”

Anna glanced over, arm still poised for the throw. “What?”

Eli frowned. “Is that asshole following you or something?”

She dropped her arm and followed his gaze to the front of the restaurant where she saw Tom entering alone.

Beckett tensed next to her. He placed his hand on her back and she took comfort from his strength.

“He’s probably just ordering pizza,” Anna said over the music. “Let’s keep playing.”

But Tom didn’t stop at the bar or wait for a hostess. He strolled in their direction. Eli stepped closer just as she felt Beckett’s hand flex on her back.

“Hi, Anna,” Tom said. “I’ve been seeing a lot of you lately.”

“Doesn’t seem like a coincidence,” Beckett muttered. His jaw hardened, but he kept his gaze focused on Tom.

“We’re in the middle of a game,” Eli said. “I think it would be better if you left.”

Something flickered in Tom’s eyes, but he kept his smile in place. “I was stopping in to order a pizza. I saw you over here and thought I’d say hi.”

“Well, you said it,” Eli told him. “Now you can go.”

Anna glanced at him. “Eli.”

“What? He won’t leave you alone.”

“He’s right,” Beckett said. “He’s been bothering you every week.”

Anna’s stomach clenched. The last thing she wanted right now was a scene. She glanced back to their booth, catching Poppy’s eye, and then Summer’s. Like a plea for help.

“I think Anna’s old enough and smart enough to be able to decide what’s going on,” Tom said. “She doesn’t need you two telling her what to do.”

“We’re not telling her anything,” Beckett snapped. “She’s made her decision and she doesn’t want anything to do with you.”

Eli nodded. “Just leave.”

“You can’t tell me what to do either,” Tom said. He appealed to Anna. “They’re just trying to get in the way of us–”

“
Us
?” Eli echoed. “You piece of sh–”

“I meant our friendship,” Tom added, but Beckett cut him off before he could continue.

“There is no friendship. There’s nothing between you. She’s not with you anymore, and she never will be.”

Anna gripped his arm when he looked like he was going to lunge forward, but her gaze jerked to Tom’s when he gave a chuckle.

“Wait,” he said, eyes flicking between her and Beckett. “I was right? You two? Together?”

She opened her mouth to tell Tom to walk away, but Beckett nodded. “That’s right.”

The air seemed to freeze around her. Her entire family stood around her now, Tom in the middle. All of them had just heard what Beckett said.

Jillian pressed against Eli’s chest. “Eli, walk away. Come on, our pizzas are at the table.”

Eli gritted his teeth, but finally relaxed. Summer pulled on Beckett’s arm. “Let’s go.”

She turned her back on Tom, shock still coursing through her body. She hadn’t wanted her family to find out like this. Hadn’t wanted any of this.

Beckett reached for her, but she shook her head. How could he have said anything knowing how she felt? She’d told him soon. Soon they’d tell everyone. And now she didn’t have a choice.

Chapter Twenty

For the first time in over a year, Anna called in sick to work. She hadn’t even skipped work when she’d found out about Tom. She hadn’t skipped work on the day she was supposed to get married.

But she couldn’t face the world today.

She locked herself in her room as she heard Poppy getting ready. She couldn’t talk to anyone, couldn’t face what had happened last night. No one had mentioned anything at dinner, pretending like Beckett had never revealed their secret. But it all had to come out sometime. That she’d kept the relationship from them. That Beckett hadn’t waited until she was ready.

Anna pulled her laptop off her nightstand and turned it on. She owed Celeste an email. But when it finally came up, her fingers hovered over the keyboard, unmoving. She didn’t know what to say.

Moving to France was taking the easy way out, wasn’t it? But Anna deserved a little easiness in her life. She deserved to have a new place and a new job to get her back on her feet.

She typed,
Thinking about it
in the subject line and then paused again.

Her heart and her mind fought an exhausting battle, and she didn’t want to be involved. She wanted someone to decide for her.

Finally, Anna put her fingers to the keys and typed a brief message.
I’m still thinking about your offer to come live there with you. It sounds like a great opportunity, but I need to take some time and make sure it’s the right choice. Either way, it would be fun to come visit sometime. Love, Anna

She sent the email before she could change her mind and then stood up. The room was still dark and she opened the blinds, forcing herself to face the day. She dressed slowly, debating. It was tempting to mope in her room all day. But Anna wasn’t much of a moper. She was a do-er, and doing meant figuring out how to face everyone.

When she pulled on a light sweater, she heard a knock at the front door. She froze, images of Beckett flashing through her mind.

No, he would have called if he were going to come. But Tom wouldn’t.

Anna clenched her teeth together. It had better not be Tom.

She ventured to the living room, ready to peek through the peephole when her phone rang. She grabbed it off the counter and saw her mom’s number.

When she answered, her mom laughed. “Open the door. I know you’re in there.”

Anna blew out a breath and opened the front door. Her mother stood there with two bags in her hands and a wide smile.

“Morning,” she said cheerfully.

Anna angled her head, stuffing her phone in her pocket. “What are you doing here?”

“Since you weren’t feeling well,” Gale said with another smile, “I brought provisions.”

“I–I’m not really sick, Mom, I just–”

“Need a break. Yes, I get it. Are you going to let me in?”

“Oh.” Anna stepped back and took one of the bags from her mom. “Sorry, why are you here again?”

“Honey…” Gale set her bag on the kitchen counter and turned to her daughter, concern in her eyes. “I’m here because you need someone to talk to. You need to let someone help take care of you. No, don’t get defensive. It’s not because I think you’re weak or you can’t handle yourself. It’s because I don’t want you to be stressed or hurting, and sometimes talking about it helps.”

Anna swallowed the lump of emotion in her throat and gave in, letting her mom wrap her arms around her.

When she eased back, Gale already had a tissue ready to press into her hand.

“Sit,” Gale instructed, and Anna did what she was told. “Now, talk to me while I make some tea.”

Anna folded her legs up on the couch, squeezing the tissue tight in her hands while her mom started the water on the stove.

“You heard what happened last night,” Anna said.

Gale glanced over. “Summer said Tom showed up at the restaurant and things got a little tense.”

“A little tense,” Anna murmured, shaking her head. “Yeah, you could say that. I thought they were going to fight.”

“Who?”

“Tom and Beckett and Eli.”

Gale brought over a plate of croissants and tapped her bright pink fingernails against her lips. “I have to say, Tom has it coming.”

“Mom.”

Gale held up her hands. “Just an observation. Besides, I hear that he’s been bothering you.”

Anna shrugged.

“Then it has to be pretty bad if you won’t even talk about it.”

Anna looked up. “Did Summer tell you the rest?”

“Yes.”

She groaned and buried her face in a pillow. Of course she had. But why did it matter now? Everyone else knew, her mom might as well, too,

“Not much of a secret, you two,” Gale said, rising again and returning to the kitchen.

When Anna peeked out from behind the pillow, her mom was pulling mugs from the cupboard. She narrowed her eyes, making Gale laugh.

“You and Beckett,” she said.

Anna crossed her arms. “I know who you’re talking about.”

“Anna. You think I didn’t notice? He watches you wherever you go, looks at you like…like your father looked at me.”

She felt that familiar clench in her heart. The one that told her how she really felt about Beckett. The one that was always followed by another familiar flicker of hurt when she remembered how many times she’d given her heart and it was stomped on.

When her mom returned to the couch with two mugs of tea, Anna held hers tight until the heat made her wince.

“So why was it a secret?” Gale asked.

“I think…he wants more than I can give. He told me he loves me.”

Gale nodded. “I know he does. What did you say?”

“What am I supposed to say?”

“How do you feel?”

Anna swallowed and distracted herself with the tea bag, dumping it over and over in the water. “Scared.”

“Beckett isn’t Tom.”

“I know.”

“But that doesn’t mean it’s easy to try again.”

“There’s more,” Anna said miserably.

Gale reached out and set her hand on Anna’s. “Tell me.”

“Celeste emailed me. She said her roommate is moving out and she invited me to stay with her. In France. And I…I’m thinking about it.”

Gale’s expression didn’t change. No judgment or anger that Anna would be leaving the family and the business. “Naturally. It’s new and different and came at a time in your life when everything else is changing for you.”

“But…” Anna swallowed, lifting her eyes to her mother’s compassionate ones. “The bakery. And all of you.”

“There
are
other people who know how to make cakes, Anna. That’s why you were training Leah. So we’d have extra hands. And there are planes so we could come visit–or the other way around. If you really wanted to go, we’d all support you.”

“Not Poppy. She’s pissed because I didn’t tell you all sooner. And–”

“She’s hurt,” Gale said. “Because you’re her best friend and she doesn’t want you to go.”

Anna sipped her tea, letting her mom’s words settle.

Gale rubbed Anna’s arm. “Start with one thing at a time. How do you feel about Beckett?”

“I think…” The words stuck in her throat. She cared so much for Beckett, but she was afraid it wasn’t going to work out.

“You love him.”

Anna’s eyes filled with tears. “I do. But what if–”

“No what-ifs. You have to be strong. If you really care about him, and you want to see a future with him, then you have to take that next step–even if it’s to commit to waiting it out. But you have to do it all the way. Be there for him like he’s there for you, and understand that this is new for him, too.”

Anna nodded. It
was
new for him. They were friends for so long and now they were both exploring uncharted territory. And he was doing a far better job at it than her.

“Come on,” Gale said, lifting a plate. “Eat something and we’ll figure out the rest.”

{}{}{}

He’d screwed it up. The whole night. Tom had provoked him, sure, but he’d been an ass. He wanted to prove to Tom how easy it was for Anna to move on. And yeah, selfishly, he wanted the secret out.

He walked into the bakery just before lunch, hoping he might be able to take Anna out somewhere to explain. To fix this.

Leah stood at the counter helping a customer and he waited a moment before gesturing to the kitchen. “I’m going to go on back.”

She shook her head. “Anna’s not here. Or are you picking something up?”

“No.” He waited while she finished with the customer and then stepped up to the counter. “You think she’ll be back soon?”

“I’m not sure she’s going to be coming in. Jillian said something about her not feeling well?”

“She didn’t come in at all?”

“Nope.”

Beckett frowned. Anna was sick? Or was it what had happened last night?

“Thanks,” he told Leah and left.

He’d check in with Jillian and see what was going on. But when he got to the main office, she was meeting with a bride and her family. He waited for several minutes, but it didn’t look like the meeting was going to be over anytime soon.

With a sigh, he headed to the next store down to see if he could find out anything from Poppy. Her hands were deep in potting soil when he walked in.

She gave him a smile. “Hey. Look at my new plants.”

He scanned them and nodded, but couldn’t find it in himself to take much interest. “Is Anna at home?”

“She said she wasn’t feeling well when I left this morning. I haven’t seen her since, so I bet she’s still there.”

Beckett leaned against the counter, debating whether or not it was smart to visit her. “Like a cold or something more serious?”

Poppy smiled. “I think she’s just stressed and needed a break. I probably should have checked in on her but…” She sighed. “I guess I didn’t think she’d want me to.”

“Poppy, you guys have to talk this out. Neither of you is happy about what’s going on.”

“She’s thinking of moving to France, Beckett–”

“I know.”

“And she wasn’t telling anyone.”

“I know,” he repeated. Which hurt him, too. He wished that Anna would be open with him about that at least. “But we weren’t telling her things, too.”

Poppy frowned. “That’s not the same thing. We were just…trying to help her. With the wedding not going through and her feeling so bad, I didn’t want to make it worse. We weren’t doing anything wrong–just making it easier for her to move on.”

“And talking behind her back even when she was suspicious, and–”

“Beckett,” Poppy said, pulling her hands out of the pot and walking to the sink to wash them. “It’s not a big deal.”

“I need to tell her.”

He heard a noise at the back of the store and froze when he saw Anna, eyes wide and cheeks pale.

“I think you just did,” Anna whispered. She turned on her heel and walked from the store.

“Anna, wait!” he called.

Poppy’s eyes were wide. “How long do you think she was standing there?”

“I don’t know.”

Beckett ran after Anna, calling her name. She’d made it all the way to her van before he could get her to stop.

“Please, Anna, just listen.”

She spun around, eyes flashing. “I knew something was going on.”

“It’s not what you think.”

“Secrets are pretty much always what you think. Something you don’t want the other person to know.”

“You didn’t tell me about France, what’s that then?” he asked.

She reeled back like he’d slapped her. “Not a secret! I was conflicted, I didn’t know what I was going to do. I wouldn’t have just run off without telling you. And if–if things had worked out with us–I wouldn’t have gone. It wouldn’t have been an issue.”

He ran his hand through his hair and blew out a breath. “I should have told you. But, still, it’s not–”

“Not a big deal? You and Poppy were–what? Just conspiring to get my mind off of Tom? You thought I needed some help getting past it, so you planned things behind my back. You–” Her eyes widened again like she was piecing it all together. She started pacing, wringing her hands in front of her. “That’s why you kept coming to help me, isn’t it? You were pretending like it was because you were interested in me, but it was just an assignment–”

“That’s not true.”

“Then why did you need to keep it a secret?” She stopped pacing and swallowed, tears shimmering in her eyes. “Jillian knew about it, too, didn’t she? And probably Eli.”

“We were all trying to help. And it has nothing to do with how I feel for you.”

She licked her lips and shook her head. “God, I feel like an idiot. All of you knew about this–that’s why everyone kept whispering about things and planning dinners at Pearl’s and–”

“They did it because I wasn’t sure how to–to do this. To show you how I felt for you.”