You Belong With Me (27 page)

              Layla licked her lips as Kit sat up and wiped her eyes. Kit turned and looked at Layla with haunted eyes. “Don’t you dare even think about it. There has to be justice for everything he put our mother through. He shouldn’t get to live off of his mother’s hard work or ours when he ran out on us and doesn’t even have the grace to feel even a little bit bad about it,” she said angrily.

              Layla glanced at Jane before answering Kit. “Kit, our emotions are high right now. We’re remembering every rotten thing he did and every good thing he never got around to. We’re seeing this man at his worst. He’s desperate. Let’s agree to not worry about it for now. He has a long way to go. But Kit, if this man was just a stranger off the street, would we give him food to eat? Would we try and help him on his way?” she asked softly.

              Jane grabbed Kit’s hand. “Kit, don’t be so mad. Don’t let it eat you up,” she begged.

              Kit pulled her hand away and walked toward the door. “I’m going to take Bubba on a walk,” she said and disappeared.

              Layla frowned after her sister, “She’ll be okay. I’m going to call a therapist I know tomorrow. We could all use someone to talk us through this. Kit needs an outlet for all that anger or she’s going to burst open.”

              “Why do you think she paints?” Jane said and stood up too.

              Layla smiled sadly and stretched her legs out on the couch. “True. What do you do Jane?”

              Jane shrugged. “I read to escape. It gave me an escape that was safe, healthy and broadened my intellect. But these days I’m too busy living life to want to escape. What about you Layla? How did you deal with the anger and disappointment?”

              Layla closed her eyes for a moment and frowned. “I helped people. I helped little girls and boys because I know what it’s like. At least I used to help people,” she said feeling the familiar pain encompass her heart as she thought of all the children she wouldn’t be helping now.

              Jane walked over and leaned down and kissed her cheek. “You did good Layla. Now it’s time to let it go and just be happy.”

              Layla kept her eyes closed as she listened to Jane walk out of the room and felt one tear slip out. She reached up to wipe the tear with her finger and smiled. Maybe Jane was right.

Chapter 21 – Lies and Lawyers

              Michael stopped by the next morning and asked to take her to lunch. Kit and Jane accepted on her behalf for her before she could decline. Michael grinned at Kit and Jane before kissing her quickly.

              “I’ve got a walk through with a client so I have to run, but I’ll pick you up at 1 o’clock,” he said over his shoulder before rushing out the door.

              The rest of the morning was a rush but when things slowed down at eleven, Kit headed to the kitchen to work on their first birthday cake order. It was for a client’s 16
birthday. It would be three tiers, pink with large fondant polka dots and a miniature sculpture of her daughter dancing with Justin Bieber. Kit had plans to write all of Justin Beiber’s song titles on the cake. Layla couldn’t help noticing the excitement in Kit’s face. Kit was an amazing artist, so cake decorating was very different for her but the chance to create and make something beautiful had put a sparkle in her sister’s eyes.

              She and Jane worked steadily until Michael showed up. Kit came out from the kitchen right on time and so she took her apron off and allowed Michael to whisk her away to the Iron Skillet. When they arrived, Rob led them personally to the best table in the restaurant.

              “My favorite bakers will be treated like queens in my restaurant,” he said leaning over and kissing her on the cheek.

              Layla laughed as Michael’s eyes narrowed at Rob dangerously. Rob saw Michael’s reaction and grinned at his friend. “Everyone is raving about our new sourdough bread. I had a food critic come in last night and she was speechless. If I get a good review because of your bread, I’m going to throw a party in your honor.”

              Layla pumped her fist in the air. “I would
love
that Rob. But honestly, Kit should have all the credit. I don’t know if she told you or not, but our recipe binder was stolen last Saturday. All of our bread recipes were gone,” she said and by the look on Rob’s face he’d had no idea.

              “You’re kidding me,” he said, sounding horrified.

              Layla glanced at Michael and reached out to hold his hand before she continued. “There’s a couple people out there who don’t want us to be a success. But Kit remembered some of the recipe and she researched the best ones online and then spent all day Sunday perfecting her new recipe. She was incredible Rob. Honestly, she saved us. Me and Jane can’t take any credit for it,” she said.

              Rob rubbed his hand over his chin and looked away. “Wow, that sister of yours is quite a woman, huh?”

              Layla grinned and nodded as Rob walked away, deep in thought. Michael laughed and shook his head as he grabbed a menu off the table. “He’s such a goner.”

              Layla raised an eyebrow. “He sure does send mixed signals for being a goner. He acts like he’s interested in Kit but then won’t ask her out. I don’t get him,” she said opening her menu and scanning the entrees as their waitress brought out a bread plate.

              Michael buttered a slice and handed it to her before taking his own. “Rob had it tough a few years back. He fell in love with a model up in Seattle and when his shoulder went out on him, she took off with another player on his team. Just about killed him. Rob’s a great guy, but he just doesn’t trust his instincts when it comes to women anymore. His rule is, if they’re pretty and fun,
run
. He’s had a boring social life lately to say the least. Working hard getting his restaurant up and going is his whole life now.”

              Layla sat back and smiled. “But now that a certain talented bread maker is in town, he’s having to re-think his dating rules, huh?”

              Michael laughed. “You said it. Hey, I feel for the guy. I had a similar rule too. I looked at you and thought one word.
Trouble
.”

              Layla’s mouth dropped open and she glared across the table. “I’m the farthest thing from trouble there is,” she said, affronted.

              Michael gave her a lopsided grin and sat back as he stared at her, his eyes going warm and liquid. “I beg to differ.”

              Layla blushed and rolled her eyes. The waitress came to their table and they ordered. During the next ten minutes they talked about her father and his association with Alex Foster before their food arrived. Later as they walked back to the bakery, Michael tugged on her hand bringing her to a stop.

              “What?” she asked look up into his face. He looked stunned. She looked over at what he was staring at and saw Ashley walking out of an Attorney’s office. Her parents walked beside her and they had large smiles on their faces.

              “This can’t be good,” Michael said, watching silently as they got into the luxury sedan and drove away.

              Layla frowned after the car and hugged Michael around the waist. “I hate to say this, but you need to contact your own lawyer on the off chance that she’s going after custody.”

              Michael’s face fell and a shadow of worry darkened his eyes. “I think you’re right,” he said and then walked her the rest of the way to the bakery in silence. He leaned down and kissed her. Michael gave her a half smile and touched her cheek before walking quickly away in the opposite direction toward his office.

              Layla felt the happiness of the day dim as she wondered what lay ahead for Michael and Stella if Ashley was in fact going to sue for custody. There was always a chance that she and her parents were there to go over wills and trusts, but she doubted it.

              She walked into the bakery to see Kit and Jane leaning on the counters and talking to two officers. By the way Jane’s eyes were glowing, Tate had to be one of them.

              “Hey guys. What’s going on?” she asked walking around the counter and grabbing a water bottle out of the case.              

              “Hi Layla,” Tate said, turning to her and smiling his big bright friendly smile. “We’re just bringing by the recipe binder Landon took from you. Jane and Kit say all the recipes are here. Do you want to double check to make sure?”

              Layla nodded and took the binder over to a table to look through while Jane and Kit flirted. The bakery was totally empty and she frowned darkly at the half full cases. They better have a big rush before six or they were in trouble today.

              She flipped through the recipes and noticed that while the recipes were all there, some of them seemed slightly different. The paper on some of the recipes was bright white instead of the faded, yellowish color of Belinda’s old recipes too. She looked more closely at the recipes and saw a few things that caught her eye. Some of the amounts seemed off. She noticed them on the recipes she made herself but she wasn’t sure on Jane’s or Kit’s.

              “Hey Jane, can I see your lap top real quick?” Layla asked, slipping one of the newer looking recipes out of the plastic sleeve. A few minutes later, Jane brought over the laptop and looked at her quizzically.

              “I checked the number of recipes and it’s the same Layla,” Jane said with a smile and a shake of her head as if she were being silly.

              Tate and Kit walked over and looked over her shoulder. Layla pulled up the recipe for Jane’s chocolate cupcakes and frowned between the two recipes. They
were
different.

              “The salt amounts are off and so is the baking powder,” Layla said, pointing to the scanned copy and the newer one she was holding. “Look, the color of the paper doesn’t match the originals. Someone took the recipes, changed them and then printed them out on new paper,” she said, feeling anger at her father for stooping so low in order to make sure they fail.

              “Are you sure Layla?” Tate asked, picking up the binder and flipping through the recipes in order to see the differences in color between the recipes.

              Kit leaned over Layla’s shoulder, all traces of smiling and laughter gone as she stared between the recipes. “They’re subtle changes but it’s just enough that a whole batch of cupcakes wouldn’t turn out.”

              Layla nodded and looked up at Tate. “I’m sure Tate. Someone stole the binder and changed the recipes. They worked fast too considering that we just found out yesterday that Landon stole them from us.”

              Jane shivered. “Alex Foster helped him. I’d bet you anything.”

              Tate raised an eyebrow and sighed. “Could you go through and just mark down all the recipes that were changed so I can put it in the report?”

              Layla nodded and had Jane and Kit side by side while they went through everything. Layla did her recipes first so she could help customers who came in. Tate and his partner waved at her before leaving as she rung up their last customer for the day. Kit turned the sign to CLOSED and leaned tiredly up against the door, looking sad and lost.

              “Will it ever stop do you think?” she asked softly.

              Layla nodded firmly. “It will as soon as they realize that we mean business. If we can get proof that Alex Foster is influencing Landon or that he’s involved in this sabotage, then we’ll have some clout. Until then, he’ll keep coming after us. Sneaky little jerk,” she added venomously.

              Jane picked up the binder and walked toward the kitchen. “I’m putting this in a garbage bag and putting it up on a high shelf in the pantry. We don’t need it anymore and it might be laced with cyanide or something,” she said, with a raised eyebrow before disappearing.

              Kit grimaced and massaged her back. Layla smiled and leaned against the counter tiredly. “By the way, Rob is even
more
in love with our bread. He had a big shot food critic come in yesterday who wouldn’t stop complimenting Rob on the sour dough. He says if he gets a good review because of us he’s going to throw us a party,” she said, grinning as the sparkle immediately returned full force to her sister’s eyes.

              “I would love that,” Kit breathed out before squealing and jumping up and down.

              Layla laughed and hugged her sister when she calmed down. “I have to admit that I bragged about you a little too. I probably let slip the part where someone steals all of our recipes and that you spend all day Sunday being the Hero and how you
singlehandedly
created the best recipe for sourdough this world has ever seen.”

              Kit’s eyes went big and she bit her lip. “Oh Layla, he’ll think I made you say all that.”

              Layla looked at her crazy. “Kit, we’re not in Jr. High. Of course he didn’t think that. But he did look stunned. He just sort of mumbled and walked off without even saying good bye. Michael told me Rob swore off beautiful women a couple years ago. I think you have him re-thinking his rules.”

              Kit’s face slowly turned bright and happy. “He’s running, but he can’t hide,” she said softly and then turned and walking out of the room.

              Layla grinned and then finished sweeping and wiping down the counters. She transferred the left over croissants, cookies and muffins to a tray and carried them to the kitchen. She’d looked up the nearest battered women’s shelter and had already let the director know she’d be bringing their extra food over. She loaded up the car and waved bye to her sisters.

              After she got back from the shelter she spent the rest of the day relaxing and straightening up the house before calling Michael. It was nine o’clock and she knew Stella had to be in bed by then. She yawned wide, feeling her jaw crack just as Michael picked up and knew she had to get to bed too.