The Perfect Mix (Keller Weddings Book 1) (9 page)

It took him a moment to realize she was joking. He laughed and finally let his arms slide away from her.

“No, but it worked out well for me. It gave me an excuse to get you here.”

Anna’s gaze flicked to the window. “It stopped raining.”

Beckett scuffed his shoe on the tile. “I can take a look at your car whenever you’re ready.”

Her lips curved and she lifted her shoulders. “Maybe we should make a list first. You know, figure out what you’ll need for the party. That way you’re prepared.”

“Good idea.”

He reached past her to grab a pen and paper, determined to distract her for the rest of the afternoon so she’d stay with him.

Chapter Nine

The next problem was her family.

Anna hadn’t told any of them what had gone on between her and Beckett, and every time she considered it, she also considered the consequences. That this might not work out in the long run. Then it wouldn’t just be a ruined relationship, but a ruined friendship.

Which meant she’d been careful around Beckett. When he’d go to take her hand or run his fingers down her arm, she’d sidestep. And she’d worry.

By Thursday, she couldn’t take it anymore and dashed across the street to see Summer.

Summer was safe. Summer was impartial. The youngest of the five kids, Summer was still way beyond her years. She was also a huge romantic.

When Anna walked into the store, she found Summer arranging a mannequin with a flowery skirt on.

“Taking a break?” Summer asked.

“It’s slow over there.” Which was her version of small talk. To stall. Maybe she’d just leave out Beckett’s name. Make it a hypothetical situation.

“Same here. No new appointments until tomorrow. And another one at the beginning of next week.” Summer’s eyes met hers. “Jillian warned you, right?”

Anna released a long breath and nodded. Tom and Catrina were coming in for a consultation.

“I’m not planning on being there. I know they’re big clients and they’ll expect to see the cake options, but Jillian has it covered.”

Summer nodded, her blue eyes compassionate. “No one expects you to be there. I still don’t think Jillian should do the wedding for them. Mom’s against it.”

“That’s because Mom’s protective. But I told Jillian to do it. It’s important for our business.”

Summer made a noise of disagreement and stopped fumbling with the mannequin’s skirt. “Who cares?”

“You’ll care if they say something negative about Keller Wedding Consultants and no one wants to buy your clothes anymore.”

“Everyone’s too smart for that. Besides, Tom and Catrina aren’t even in love,” Summer said. “Seems like a waste of everyone’s time to me.”

Anna bit her lip, so distracted by Summer’s comment for a moment that she forgot about her own dilemma. “You don’t think they’re in love?”

Summer laughed, walking to the counter to shove some pens back in the holder. “No way. Tom had love with you–or at least something better than what he has with Catrina–and he threw it all away. So many people don’t get that opportunity in life and he gave it up without blinking. They’re both going to be unhappy and it just seems like a waste of a perfectly good wedding.”

Anna choked on a laugh. “Summer.”

“Well, it’s true. There’s so much other shit to deal with in this world, might as well make love count.”

Anna sighed.
Make love count
. And that brought her right back to Beckett.

“Now that you’ve heard my rant,” Summer said, leaning her elbows on the counter, “you can tell me why you’re here.”

Anna frowned. “How did you know?”

“I can see it on your face.”

“See what?”

“Conflict.”

Anna fiddled with a necklace hanging on a rotating rack at the edge of the counter. “Yes, I’m conflicted. A little. And you’re…impartial.”

“Impartial about what?”

“My love life.”

Summer’s eyes lit with amusement. “I wasn’t aware you had a love life.”

“Screw you. I’m just quiet about my love life is all.”

“All right,” Summer said with a laugh. “Tell me about your love life.”

“You have to remember you believe in all this.”

“All what?” Summer asked.

“This happily-ever-after stuff.”

“So do you.”

Anna lifted another necklace, to give her hands something to do. “Sometimes I wonder if Tom ruined it for me.”

Summer was silent long enough, Anna looked over at her. “What?”

“You said sometimes,” Summer informed her. “What about the rest of the time? Is there someone else?”

Of course Summer could see it on her face. Summer should have been a matchmaker instead of a store owner. Would she have set Anna up with Beckett?

“There might be…” Anna fumbled with a bracelet this time. Shit. How was she supposed to say this? “Sort of. Maybe someone else.”

“And?”

“And we’re supposed to be just friends, but we sort of…kissed.”

“Kissed?”

“No, he kissed me. And I…”

“Liked it?”

Anna laughed. “Yes. No. I mean, yes, I liked it, but it surprised me.”

“You’re so cute all flustered like that. Middle school romance.”

“God, you’re right. That’s exactly what it sounds like.” Although, she wasn’t thinking about Beckett in a middle school way at all. And their kiss hadn’t been a middle school kiss. Hands and mouths and heat. She could have spent the rest of the afternoon in his arms.

“You’re going to tell me who it is, right?” Summer asked. “Otherwise I can’t give you my opinion.”

Anna shifted on her feet, cheeks flaming.

“Just say it,” Summer told her. “Or I’m going to think it’s…Buster.”

“Buster? The flower delivery guy? He’s at least sixty–no, probably more like seventy. And isn’t he married anyway?”

With a laugh, Summer came around the counter and calmly took the necklace Anna was holding to return it to the rack. “It’s Beckett, isn’t it?”

“What?” Anna’s mouth dropped open. “How did you know?”

“I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

“What?” she said again, mind whirling. “He doesn’t look at me in any way. I thought–no, he doesn’t look at me–”

“Yes, he does.”

This wasn’t right. Anna was the one who’d started to have feelings for him. She was the one who had imagined their friendship as something else.

“Don’t look so surprised,” Summer said.

“But…”

“But what?”

“I thought it was just me, that I was the one who wanted something more. And–I don’t know, he kissed me, but I thought it was just because of the rain and because he’s been spending so much time around me lately.”

“Why do you think he’s been spending so much time around you lately?”

“Not because–” Anna’s eyes flashed to Summer, who started laughing. “You think that’s why he’s been everywhere lately? God, you’re right. This
is
middle school. And I’m completely clueless.” Anna huffed. “Why didn’t you say anything to me? Am I the only one who didn’t know about this?”

“Does it matter?” Summer soothed. “You should focus on what happened and go from there.”

Her stomach dipped. “How am I supposed to go from there? It’s
Beckett
. And no one else knows, so it’s been hard to be around him. I’m kind of avoiding him a little.”

“What? Why?”

Anna frowned, reaching for the necklace again, unable to stay still. “Because,” she mumbled, “I don’t want it to be weird. He’s like family. And I don’t want to ruin what we already have.”

Summer’s eyes twinkled with understanding. “How do you know if you don’t try?”

Anna didn’t answer.

Summer ran her hand down Anna’s hair, just like her mom might have done. “I understand. It’s Tom’s fault, but I understand.”

Anna let out a quiet laugh. “I’m messed up. That’s the problem. Am I destined to think every guy is going to walk out on me? I mean, Beckett–”

“Isn’t like that,” Summer finished for her. “You should talk to him. If this is what you want, talk to him. Take a chance.”

Anna groaned, pressing her hands over her face. “What is my problem? He kissed me, like really
kissed
me—”

“Was he smooth about it?” Summer asked, clearly wanting details.

“God, you don’t even know. You probably don’t
want
to know if you think about Beckett like we’re supposed to think about Beckett.”

“As family?”

“Yes.” But then she couldn’t stop feeling his mouth on hers, the warmth of his hands.

“But you’re not thinking about him like family now, right?”

“No. No way.”

“
Is
that what you want?”

Anna rubbed her hands over her face, then chuckled. “It’s like you’re my therapist.”

“And how does that make you feel?”

She laughed, nudging Summer with her arm. “This whole thing makes me feel weird. It’s exactly what I wanted, for Beckett to kiss me. And now I’m avoiding him.”

“If that’s what you wanted, and it’s clearly what
he
wanted, then why not go for it?”

“You don’t think it’s strange?” Anna asked. “It’s Beckett. Beckett, Summer. He put worms in my lunch box when I was a kid.”

“That’s sweet.”

She snorted. “It was disgusting.”

“Sure, but it just shows how long he’s been trying to get your attention. And now he has it. Right?” Summer put her arm around Anna’s shoulders. “I say go for it.”

“Really?”

“Like, right now.”

“What?”

Summer pointed and Anna looked out the window to see Beckett across the street at the flower shop. He was helping Poppy hang new baskets of colorful pansies on the hooks in front of the building.

Her heart stuttered. “I should talk to him,” she whispered.

“Then do.”

“It’s not as simple as that.”

Summer tilted her head as if to say,
What’s so complicated about it
?

“Come on.” Summer nudged her toward the door. “Don’t put it off, you’ll just convince yourself you shouldn’t talk to him and that’s a bad idea.”

“A bad idea,” Anna repeated, her feet moving automatically toward the door.

“Right.”

Anna drew in a long breath and nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Summer.”

“Of course. Come back later and I’ll show you this new top I think you’ll like.”

But Anna barely heard her before she stepped out of the shop. Across the street, Beckett said something to Poppy. She nodded her head before they both went inside.

Maybe he was talking to her about Anna. Telling Poppy all about their kiss and how Anna was avoiding him now. And why? Because she couldn’t handle it?

That wasn’t fair to Beckett. And she realized, she
could
handle it. If Beckett could, she could.

She crossed the street between the traffic and had almost reached the flower shop when she heard someone call her name.

As she turned and saw who it was, her feet cemented to the sidewalk.

Tom.

{}{}{}

“Hi, Anna.”

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to stay calm even though her hands wanted to shake. It was a confrontation–one she hadn’t had with Tom since she found out he was cheating.

In fact, she’d never really confronted him about that. Just walked out on him and never looked back.

She focused on the man in front of her. He hadn’t deserved any more of her time. So what was he doing here now? Again?

“Isn’t your meeting next week?” she asked.

He nodded, putting his hands in his pockets. His eyes were covered by designer glasses, and she couldn’t tell what was going on behind them. She used to think she was so good at reading his moods, but now she had no idea. Once she’d found out he was cheating, she didn’t want to trust anything about him.

“Then what are you doing here today?”

He sighed. “I wanted to talk to you.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. Unless you need to discuss the wedding cake–and then you’ll need to make an appointment because I’m in the middle of something right now.”

Mostly true. She was on her way to talk to Beckett. More than ever right now, she wanted to talk to Beckett.

“Come on,” Tom coaxed. “It doesn’t have to be like this.”

“What doesn’t have to be like this?”

“Us.”

She gritted her teeth and forced another calming breath. “There is no us.”

“You know what I mean.”

“No, I don’t. We have a professional relationship now. In fact, not even that because you’re working with Jillian. I’m sure she’ll be happy to discuss any concerns with you at your designated appointment time.”

Tom’s jaw shifted. “It’s not about the wedding.”

Her breath hissed in. “I really need to go.”

“Please, Anna. Let’s get coffee or something. Let’s talk about what happened.”

“What happened was that you cheated on me and lied about it. Clearly I’m not the type of person who marries a cheater. Nothing else to say.”

“But–”

He stopped what he was saying when the door to the flower shop opened and Poppy and Beckett stepped out.

“Hey,” Poppy said, stepping closer to Anna. “Everything okay?”