Small-Town Cinderella (The Pirelli Brothers) (18 page)

Maybe it spoke to his desperation that he’d been so quick to listen to Sophia, to believe he and Debbie still had a chance. Why else would he have agreed to show up to the festival in costume? He never dressed up, leaving that to Sam, who always went all out without the slightest bit of embarrassment. Drew felt as self-conscious as hell, but he’d promised he would attend the event and that he would try to convince Debbie to give their relationship another try. An
honest
try.

Making his decision, he continued walking toward the square. As the sounds of the music and scents of fried foods grew stronger, he slipped through the crowd gathered near the food booths.

“Well, if it isn’t Prince Charming!”

Drew’s face heated and his temper started to burn at the hoot of laughter as he turned to face his younger brother. Or at least he thought it was Sam. It was a little hard to tell under the eyeliner and black dreads. “That’s the guy from Snow White. I’m supposed to be the one from Cinderella.”

“Oh, well, yeah. ’Cause that makes it so much less lame.”

“Shut up, Captain Jack.”

Drew took a deep breath, reminding himself what was at stake and why he’d been willing to put on the blue uniform with its bright gold buttons, red sash and epaulets. Gold-freakin’-tasseled epaulets.

“Why don’t both of you chill. This is a party, remember? And I’m ready for a good time.” Ryder Kincaid was wearing his football jersey from high school and had his Wildcat helmet tucked beneath his arm. Exchanging a look with Sam, he asked, “So you really think I should I ask her out?”

“Oh, yeah! Why not, right? She’s pretty, sexy, funny—available.”

Still searching the crowd, Drew barely paid attention to the conversation between the other two men until one word jumped out at him and he froze. Turning back, he demanded, “What did you say about Debbie?”

Ryder grinned. “That she’s turned out to be pretty hot. I mean, I don’t really remember her that well from high school, but when your sister set us up the other night, I thought I hit the jackpot. I figure it’s time for me to dive back into the dating pool.”

Grinding his back teeth together, Drew gritted out, “Find another girl.”

“Why? I mean, we’re both single. Or at least she is, and I will be as soon as the divorce goes through, so—”

Drew didn’t stop to think. Stepping closer, he repeated, “Find another girl, Kincaid.”

“Wow, dude!” Sam threw an arm across Drew’s chest and pulled him away from Ryder. Drew braced himself, waiting for the other man to retaliate, but the tension slowly eased from his body as he realized Ryder wasn’t angry. Instead he and Sam were grinning like a couple of idiots.

“I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself,” his brother said.

Holding out a hand, Ryder said, “Pay up, man.”

Drew watched as Sam passed his newest employee twenty bucks, the last of his jealousy and anger dissolving into confusion. “What’s going on?”

“Ryder told me you had a thing for Debbie, and I didn’t believe it.”

“I don’t have a thing for her.”

“Yeah, what would you call it?”

“I don’t know, Sam. How do you describe the way you feel about Kara?” Drew shot back.

His younger brother sobered almost instantly. “It’s that serious?”

Drew sighed. “It is for me.”

“Then why are you standing around with the two of us?” Ryder asked.

“Ryder’s right. Go get her, Cinderella Man!”

“Sam, I swear...” Drew was shaking his head as he walked away. But he was smiling, too.

* * *

Debbie did eventually join her girlfriends on the edge of the dance floor. She was doing her best to try to have a good time, but her heart wasn’t in it. She wondered how long she would have to stay before she could slip away and head home.

“Don’t worry. He’ll be here,” Sophia promised.

“How can you be so sure? Maybe he changed his mind. Maybe he doesn’t think I’m worth it after the way I pushed him away.”

“I’m sure.” Her friend’s smile grew wider. “Fairy tales always end happily ever after.”

“My life has never been much of a fairy tale, Sophia.”

“It is tonight,” Sophia whispered as she placed her hands on Debbie’s shoulders and tuned her toward the dance floor.

Debbie gasped as she caught sight of Drew cutting his way through the crowd. He was here. Making his way toward her. The sights and sounds of the festival faded away. The distance between them lessened until she could feel the heat of his gaze wash over her.

A trembling smile crossed her face as the crowd finally parted, and she caught sight of what he was wearing. The classic prince costume—the royal blue coat, the gold buttons, the red sash. He looked incredible, if completely uncomfortable, which only made her love him that much more.

He moved toward her without breaking stride, not stopping until he stood a few feet in front of her and held out his hand. Placing her gloved hand in his, she followed him onto the dance floor. The band started to play, and she couldn’t help but give a small laugh as she recognized the first few notes of the classic Celine Dion soundtrack.

“I know tonight is all about fantasy and make-believe,” he told her, “but what I want is real. A real relationship. One that’s out in the open, for all our friends and family to see. One that’s important enough to come first in both of our lives.”

“Drew, I’m so sorry for everything I said. For pushing you away. I don’t want to hide how I feel anymore.”

Grinning, he said, “Well, that’s a good thing considering the cat’s pretty much out of the bag now.”

She laughed, tears shimmering in her eyes, and then a playful grin lit up her face. “Well, considering half the town seems to be watching, I think we might as well give them something to see, don’t you?”

Pulling his head down, Debbie pressed her mouth to his, relishing the freedom to kiss him and not care who was watching. A few catcalls came from the crowd, and she felt his smile before he backed away. “Let’s not give them too much to see.”

Drew wasn’t sure when he became aware of a sound beyond the crowd of people around them, beyond the music from the stage. The sound of shouting and the faint wail of sirens growing louder. Closer.

He saw people around him exchanging worried looks as a ripple moved through the crowd. He caught only a couple of words, but they were enough to send a shiver of concern racing through him.

Smoke...Main Street...fire department...

And a word he hoped Debbie hadn’t heard.

Grabbing his arm, color faded from her face as she whispered, “The bakery.”

Chapter Thirteen

I
n the harsh light of morning, the
destruction of the bakery was even more apparent than it had been the night
before. The plate-glass window had been broken out, the shelves and register
inside nothing more than charred ruins. She didn’t know the extent of the damage
to the kitchen or her apartment upstairs. The fire department had yet to declare
the structure safe to enter.

“Are you sure you want to be here, Debbie?” Sophia asked
gently.

Jake and Sophia had brought her home with them the night
before. Drew had wanted to take her back to his place, but even in her dazed
state, she’d heard Sophia’s whispered reminder that Debbie wouldn’t have
anything else to wear. Her whole wardrobe was now limited to a Halloween
costume.

Tonight is about fantasy.

Drew’s words echoed in her head, and she fought the crazy urge
to laugh. Well, today was just chock full of reality, wasn’t it?

“This isn’t a good idea,” Drew muttered. “Come on, Debbie.
Let’s go.”

Sympathy filled his dark eyes, and she had to look away. She
couldn’t face it, couldn’t face him, with the ugly, destructive mass of guilt
building up inside her. How many times had she felt like she was trapped by the
business her mother had loved, by the legacy Bonnie had left behind? How many
times, in the darkest places of her heart, had she secretly resented it? She
couldn’t believe that bitter acid of resentment had eaten away at the ancient
wiring, but that didn’t mean this wasn’t some kind of a sign.

She’d wanted her freedom, and now she had it. She’d felt
shackled to the business, and now that it was in ruins, those chains slipped
way.

“It’s all my fault.”

“Don’t!” Grabbing her shoulders, he turned her away from the
building. “Don’t say that. We don’t even know what caused the fire.”

“You warned me about the wiring, and I didn’t listen.”

He swore under his breath. “Even if it was the wiring, I didn’t
honestly suspect there was a problem. If I had, don’t you think I would have
insisted on checking it out myself? And doesn’t that make this more my fault
than yours?”

His grip eased as he slid his hands down her arms. He linked
his fingers with hers, but Debbie was too numb to feel it. “We’re going to fix
this, Debbie. It’ll only take a few weeks, and everything will be back to the
way it was.”

Debbie gave a rough laugh. The way it was. The way it would
always be if she didn’t take the chance fate had handed her. “Maybe I don’t want
to fix it.”

“What are you talking about? You can’t just leave it—”

“Why not? Those ‘few weeks’ will make it too late for me to
take the partnership with Hillcrest that Evelyn offered. You can’t fix that,
Drew, any more than you can fix the bakery. Bonnie’s Bakery is gone. I wanted
freedom and now—” She waved a hand at the smoke-scarred, water-stained building.
“There’s nothing left for me here.”

Drew flinched as if she’d struck him. “Nothing?” he echoed
flatly. “What about us, Debbie? Or is that nothing, too? I love you. Can you
really still not see that? I’m in love with you.”

Pain clutched her throat, each word jagged and cutting as she
tried to get them out. “I don’t— I can’t—”

Sophia wrapped an arm around her shoulders and led Debbie away.
“Come on. Let’s go.”

Jake clamped a hand on Drew’s shoulder and quietly advised,
“She’s still in shock. Give her time.”

Drew nodded, but he knew all the time in the world wouldn’t
matter if Debbie didn’t love him back.

* * *

“You do realize that one of these days you’re going to
have to leave this room,” Sophia said as she walked into the guest bedroom where
Debbie had been staying since the fire. A guest bedroom Sophia was gradually
turning into a nursery.

Along with the small twin bed where Debbie had holed up, a
white crib, matching dresser and a bookshelf filled the room. Sophia’s baby
already had an accumulation of toys lining the shelves, with more to come once
Sophia had her shower in a few weeks.

“I figure I’ll wait until your little guy or girl comes
along.”

“That’s not for another two months.”

Debbie nodded as she tucked a stray curl behind her ear. She
knew it was only her imagination because she’d thoroughly washed her hair since
the fire, but the stench of smoke still seemed to cling to everything she
touched. Even food tasted like ash. “Two months sounds about right.”

“Deb...” Sophia sank onto the bed beside her, pulling away the
cream-colored ruffled pillow she had been holding to her chest like some kind of
shield.

“I just—can’t. It’s like the days after my mom died all over
again. With everyone being so sympathetic and so nice, and I just don’t have the
strength to pretend everything’s fine.”

“Good grief, Debbie! Everything is not fine, and no one expects
you to pretend that it is! You’ve lost your business and your home, and people
want to help. That’s what we do around here. You know that.”

“Everything’s—gone. There’s nothing anyone can do about
that.”

“You’re so sure about that?”

Unable to hold Sophia’s steady gaze, Debbie glanced down at the
sea-green comforter. She knew her friend had overheard Drew’s heartfelt
declaration and her own cold, empty silence.

Huffing a sigh, Sophia reached into the pocket of her flowery
maternity dress. “Well, at least listen to your messages. Your phone hasn’t
stopped ringing in the past two days.”

Her phone. She’d forgotten that it, too, hadn’t been lost in
the fire, having thrown it into her small evening bag on Halloween night at the
last minute. Swiping the screen, she blinked, startled to realize Sophia hadn’t
exaggerated about the number of calls.

The first was from Kayla, and Debbie cringed. She should have
been the one to call her employee. In the background, she could hear Kayla’s
baby girl’s sweet babbling, but the young woman didn’t say anything about her
job or ask when she might be able to come back to work. She simply said how
sorry she was and asked Debbie to call if she needed anything.

The next message was from Vanessa Pirelli, who volunteered to
help at the bakery again anytime Debbie might need her. Andrea Collins reminded
Debbie that she worked in real estate and could help her find a temporary rental
space until the bakery was up and running again. Hope Daniels offered her a
place to stay in the apartment above the antiques store.

And another message was from Evelyn McClaren, who offered her
the use of Hillcrest’s kitchen for her baking, not wanting Debbie to fall behind
on wedding cake selections they still needed to finalize for the inn’s
all-inclusive wedding packages.

Other messages were from friends and acquaintances—all telling
her they couldn’t wait for the bakery to open again and offering their help just
as Sophia had said.

How had she missed that? How had she become so focused on what
muffins she made or what cupcakes she sold that she stopped thinking about the
customers and friends she saw—sometimes every day. And had she really believed
that the
bakery
was the only thing tying her to
Clearville?

She couldn’t leave this town she loved any more than she could
leave the man she loved. But of all the messages she’d played back on her phone,
not one of them had been from Drew.

He told you he loved you, and you just
walked away.

He’d already come back to her once after she’d pushed him away.
Did she really think he’d chase after her again?

It was definitely her turn.

* * *

Drew stared at the under-construction house and wondered
if he’d ever be able to finish it. What would be the point when the family he’d
built it for—the family of his dreams—seemed more out of reach than ever? He
couldn’t stand the thought of living there alone. And yet the idea of another
family moving in made him want to tear the place down with his bare hands. Board
by board, nail by nail, until there was nothing left.

When he’d been a kid, he’d broken a rib once while roughhousing
with Nick. He still remembered the stabbing pain with every breath he took. That
pain was back. Only now it was his raw and bruised heart aching on each and
every breath, and no tightly wrapped bandage was going to take that hurt
away.

This was different from the first time, though he still
couldn’t believe he was fool enough to have let Debbie trample his heart
twice
. The night in the bakery, they’d argued. They’d
both lost their temper, hurling accusations and saying things they didn’t mean.
Deep down, though, he’d still had hope that he could fix things.

You can’t fix this.

Debbie’s broken, aching words added a dull throb to the already
stabbing pain, and he hunched his shoulders beneath the leather jacket he wore.
She was right, of course. His offer had been stupid and meaningless. The bakery
was more than a building. More than new floors and walls and windows. She’d told
him once that keeping the bakery the same as it was when her mother was alive
was a way for her to keep Bonnie’s memory alive.

Did he really think he could recreate those memories by
slapping up a new coat of bright and shiny pink paint?

He kicked his work boot at the loose rocks along the driveway.
That was as stupid as thinking if he built this house that the family he’d
always imagined would come.

He should turn Ryder loose on the place. Let the other man
finish it and put the house up for sale.

There’s nothing left for me
here.

Yeah, he was starting to know the feeling.

The crunch of gravel alerted him to a car’s approach, and he
hoped it wasn’t Sophia or another member of his family—but the familiar
lime-green Bug didn’t belong to Sophia. And his stupid heart started pounding
against his chest, ready and willing to throw itself out there to get trampled a
third time.

He soaked in the sight of her, as if it had been two years
instead of the two days since he’d last seen her. She looked tired. Her hair was
caught back in a low ponytail, her face washed clean of makeup and she was
wearing his sister’s borrowed clothes. And he’d never seen her look more
beautiful. Because despite all those things, when she met his gaze she lifted
her chin, holding her head high. Still strong, still a fighter, still the girl
he’d fallen in love with—hell, maybe as far back as the day of her mother’s
funeral.

“I was wrong.” Her voice carried across the cool, crisp morning
air, her misty breath forming a cloud around her words. A bit of color came to
her cheeks as she closed the space between them. “I want you to rebuild the
bakery.”

“So you’re here looking for a contractor?”

She nodded. “A contractor, a white knight...the man I
love.”

Her voice caught on the last word, but it didn’t matter. Drew
still heard it. Still felt it shining in the bright blue of her eyes, in the
warmth of her smile, and he realized he’d been wrong. As that feeling wrapped
tight around his heart, all the pain
did
go
away.

“God, Debbie, I am so sorry,” he whispered as he pulled her
into his arms. He breathed in the sweet smell of her shampoo as he held her
tight. “About the fire. About acting like I could just ride to the rescue and
make everything better.”

“You can. You have.”

“No, you were right. Offering to rebuild the bakery as if I
could make it as good as new was stupid. I can’t give you back all the memories
you lost in the fire.”

“Maybe not,” she agreed as she pulled back just far enough to
gaze up at him. Tears swam in her eyes, making the blue that much brighter, but
he had no doubt that they were tears of joy, of hope. “But you can help me make
new ones. I thought the fire was a chance to break free of the past, and maybe
it is. But more than that, it’s a chance for me to embrace the future. I want
you to rebuild the bakery and to help me make it mine. The way you’ve built this
house to be yours.”

“This house isn’t mine,” he confessed with a shaky laugh. “It
never was. It’s always been ours. Whether I knew it or not, from the moment I
broke ground, I was building it for us. For our family.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Well, I hope you like the sound of this even more. I love you,
Debbie Mattson. I love that you’ve been my friend all these years and that you
know me so well and yet you never cease take me by surprise. I love that you
were willing to give up your own dreams to take care of your mom and that you
still have courage to go after them now.”

“I’m glad you see me that way, but the truth is I’ve been a
coward. I tried to tell myself that having a fling with you was my way of living
in the moment, but instead it was just me hiding from my feelings. I think the
best way to seize the day is to hold on to the people you love and never let
them go.”

“Where am I going to go when the woman I love is right
here?”

“Well, you can’t just stand around for too long. We have a
future to build, remember?”

“That we do,” he promised. “And you know, if you’re going to
rebuild the bakery of your dreams, you’re going to need a new name.”

“You’re right. It’s something I should have done a long time
ago. Something my mother would have wanted me to do.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking long and hard about this, and I’ve
come up with the perfect choice.”

Judging by the smile tugging at Debbie’s lips, he wasn’t doing
a very good job keeping a straight face. “And what is that?”

“I was thinking...Pirelli’s Pastries.”

Debbie’s laughter filled the morning air, and Drew didn’t
bother trying to hold back his smile as she threw her arms around his neck. “Is
that a yes?”

“To marrying you? That’s an absolute yes! To renaming the
bakery? I think we need to give that one another try.”