Page 51 of Kandie Shoppe

“Oh, she did, but she’s a business owner like me and knows what it means to pursue your own dream. I even taught her chef to make some of the local favorites. She’s put her own twists on them.”

After laying the last croissant on the parchment, she moves to pick up the massive tray.

“I got it, wildcat.” Face wary, probably from our previous argument, she steps back, allowing me to help her.

“Thanks.” If her words sound softer than they ever have before, I don’t let it show. I said what I said, and I fucking meant it. Still. My heart, that treacherous motherfucker, has me pulling her into my arms as soon as I return from putting the tray up.

“I’m going to get flour on you.” Soft whispered words, soft breath brushes my chest. A crush of curls and the barest whiff of vanilla-rose slays me.

“I don’t care. You’re who I care about.” Leaning back, I make her meet my eyes. “Do you believe me when I say that, wildcat?”

She swallows hard, then nods up at me.

Dipping my head, I take her lips. Soft brushes of our mouths meet until our tongues tangle. By the time she pulls a way reminding me of the work she has to do, I’m rock hard pressing into her soft plush belly.

The rest of the evening passes much like that with stolen kisses and pastry making.

Later, when I checked the messages I’ve been ignoring, I have to bite back a curse.

Angel: We have a problem, hombre. Aside from the one you still have not taken care of, but choose to play the baker with.

Chapter

Fifteen

Kandie

“Nicolette Love.”Our whole section cheers with me being the loudest when my baby sister, lost to our family for years, walks across the stage to take her diploma from the hand of Mathias Shelby, Jr.

Proud does not convey the feelings I have. Swiping my tears, I clap harder than anyone. I know we’re showing out, but my family has made it our mission to celebrate Nikki as we affectionally call her. We didn’t even know she returned to town until Nebraska told us she was a scholarship student at Shelby Academy, where he attended. Seems like she’d gotten a scholarship from the Shelbys. It was supposed to be a blind application process, and I figured it had to be because there is no way the head of Shelby Sugar would have ever approved it for a Love on his own. We all had a good laugh thinking about how mad old man Shelby would have been when it was awarded to a Love. One more thing they could claim we snatched away fromthem along with the land we supposedly took on top of the forty acres we got during Reconstruction. I bet the ground shook with the way that old bastard rolled in his grave.

Nikki didn’t waste her chance. She then got another scholarship to the private university the school feeds into. Now she’s graduating with none other than the current devil’s son handing her a diploma.

“You’re crying?” Joi asks, her eyes just as red as mine.

“Duh, she’s my baby sister,” I tell her, knocking her elbow with mine. My parents would be so happy to see her graduating college after everything they did to keep our family together.

“I know. I asked to do a slice of life piece. She said she’d let me know,” Joi says, a little sheepishly.

I know what she’s trying to do — make up for all the trouble she caused with Mimi and Santiago with that article outing their relationship and secret baby. It’s still pretty fresh, so I don’t know what she expects from Nikki. Trust is hard to win back after you mess up like that.

“You can’t blame anybody still being mad with your trifling tail. Nikki and you are close being that y’all are closest in age and hang out, so she might do it. Stuff about my mom and daddy is off-limits. I’m telling you straight off.”

“Speaking of hanging out, I was going to take her out to The Shack tomorrow to celebrate. You ought to come. You haven’t been down that way for a minute.”

“Umm.” I press my lips together. She’s right. I took Ulysses’ words a month or so ago to heart. Instead of going to The Shack, or Cowboys, our other dive bar, I’ve been snuggling up with Ulysses weekend nights. Sometimes we read. Sometimes we hunch, most times we read, eat, and hunch.

My place got a fresh coat of paint and new and secondhand furniture. After the third time my air mattress deflated from us having sex too rigorously, Ulysses showed up with Snake, one ofthe scary bikers from the El Diablos, and had him sit down with me to design the bed of my dreams. There were a couple more weeks of the air mattress, but the four-poster bed that now sits so pretty in my loft was well worth the wait.

“C’mon. She’s your baby sister,” Joi cajoles.

“I’ll let you know.” A sick feeling at the disappointment on Ulysses’ face when I cancel on him presses into my chest, leaving a bruising ache.

People start milling around after the ceremony is over. My family reserved a room so we can all celebrate Nikki.

“Hey, sweet girl, I’m so proud of you,” I tell her, pulling her into a hug.

“You’re the best big sister.” I can tell she means it bubbling from excitement at her accomplishment. From the moment I discovered she was in town, I went over to the school to see her. She’d already had a place and more than she needed she assured me, but she wanted a friend, a sister.

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