Cafe Au Lait (Cupid's Coffeeshop Book 5) Read online

  Alex snagged a lemon tart and then grabbed a raspberry one. He eyed her blush again before leaning close to whisper, “And maybe I’ll help you remember that kiss.”

  Chapter Three

  Just at sunset that afternoon, Kennedy scooped leaves out of her backyard pool with the skimmer. After her conversation with Alex that morning, she hadn’t been able to concentrate all day. When she’d burnt her third batch of mini quiche, she decided to come home. Maybe floating in the pool would give her some equilibrium.

  And maybe she’d be able to stop thinking about handsome, all grown-up Alex Wells.

  Fat chance of that. She’d been fantasizing about him for years now. Seeing him again only made it worse.

  “Hey there, neighbor.” Kennedy’s shoulders stiffened at Alex’s voice, as though she’d conjured him with her thoughts. He leaned against the chain link fence between their yards, two frosty amber beer bottles in his hand. The setting sun gilded his dark curls and handsome face. He wore luridly patterned swim trunks, boat shoes, and nothing else. Kennedy swallowed hard, trying not to ogle his muscled shoulders and tanned chest. He sure hid quite a body under those polo shirts he wore. Without asking, he jumped the fence, like he and Harper used to do every summer day since the Wells family moved in next door to Kennedy’s family when she was nine to Alex’s six. “If I share my beer, can I go swimming?”

  Kennedy shrugged. How many times had she, Alex, and Harper hung out by her pool over the years, even babysitting Harper and Alex’s much younger sister Alice when she arrived? She missed those carefree days, content to be with her best friend and her tag-along brother.

  She propped the skimmer against the fence and sat in a deck chair. Alex handed her a beer and laid on the chaise lounge next to her, crossing his feet at the ankles. As his muscled calves flexed, Kennedy glanced away, her mouth dry, unsure how to relate to this new, handsome, grown-up Alex. She sipped her beer, bitter hops and citrusy aftertaste sliding over her tongue. The lap of the pool water and the drone of a far-off lawnmower broke the silence of the quiet suburban twilight.

  “I spent all afternoon looking at the financials for the last two years at the Cafe. I think your recommendations from this morning are spot on. Maybe I can help you persuade Larry.”

  “You and what army?” Kennedy rolled her eyes and sipped the last of her beer, tapping the empty bottle against her thigh. Silence stretched between them, broken only by the screeching hum of cicadas and the mouth-watering smell of a backyard grill.

  “I’m not your enemy, Kennedy.” Alex finally broke the silence. Kennedy shook her head, crossing her arms over her chest. “You’re running a tight ship. Maybe too tight. You’re low on staff. Working yourself to death isn’t the answer.”

  “Larry won’t let me hire more help.”

  “So you do it all.” Alex shook his head. “If you reduced the cost of your ingredients, you could get more help in the kitchen.”

  “But I wouldn’t need it since my customers prefer not to eat sub-standard food. If I was the owner…” Kennedy stopped, biting her lip. Alex’s gaze sharpened on her and she looked away, staring at the turquoise water in the pool.

  “You could buy Larry out.”

  “I would if I could. That was my plan but…” Kennedy shrugged, not wanting to talk about her failures. “With what money?”

  “I can help you develop a financial plan, if you want.” Alex offered and Kennedy picked at the label on her beer. “How’d you end up working at the Cafe anyway? I thought you planned to live in Paris and become a famous chef.”

  “I didn’t plan on mom getting sick.” Kennedy said. “After I finished school, I worked in Paris for two years. But, when Mom got sick…”

  “You came home to care for her.” Alex filled in. “What about Peter?”

  “My brother was off in California, living his own life.” Kennedy sighed. Most of the time, she wasn’t even angry at her older brother anymore for leaving her alone, stuck with caring for their mother during her final illness and watching her own dreams crash and burn. “I quit my job in Paris, gave up my little garret, and watched Mom slip away.”

  “You didn’t want to go back?”

  “To Paris? Of course I did. But Larry’d offered me the job at the Cafe and…well, I wouldn’t get to be in charge of my own kitchen in Paris for years yet. So I settled in and then time just marched on. I’ve been home about five years now. I thought it would be less than six months.”

  “And you love the Cafe.”

  “I do.” Kennedy smiled. “I’m proud of it. But I can’t seem to make it as profitable as Larry would like. Maybe I should go find a garret in Paris again but I’d miss my life here. My friends.”

  “Sometimes life just doesn’t go according to plan, does it?”

  “What do you know about plans going awry, Mr. Wall Street Big Shot?” Kennedy said, fighting to keep the bitterness out of her voice. “You went off to college and then got an awesome job in your field. Not everyone is so lucky.”

  Alex chewed on his lip and blurted. “I don’t have a job.”

  “What?” Kennedy stared at him in confusion. “But last night, Harper said—”

  “Everyone thinks I have a job. That I’m starting on Wall Street at the end of the summer.”

  “But?”

  “After I graduated, I figured that Wall Street would fling open their doors to a newly minted MBA. I underestimated how steep the competition is and how dismal the job market is. So I’m living in my parents basement and sending out dozens of resumes a day. No luck so far.”

  “I’m sorry, Alex.” Kennedy patted his arm, her fingers lingering on his warm skin. Their gazes met in the gloaming, awareness sparking between them. She snatched her fingers away as though she’d pressed them to a hot stove. “Looks like we both boomeranged back to good old Ashford Falls. It’s not so bad here, really.”

  “I swore I’d never come back. High school was hell for me after you and Harper left.” Alex met her gaze, his eyes glinting in the half-light of dusk.

  Something about the way the shadows played over his face, the scent of chlorine, and the darkening sky reminded her of their one passionate kiss. She’d lied to Alex this morning. She remembered every second of that kiss. She used to lie on her narrow bunk in Paris and remember the taste of him, the feel of Alex against her, warm and enticing.

  He was so young then though. At eighteen, three years younger seemed like a lifetime. And he was her best friend’s kid brother. He was off limits to her, on the other side of an ocean.

  But that didn’t mean that she didn’t dream of him, his mouth, his kiss, his touch. And now, when the three-year age difference between them seemed like nothing, she had to remind herself that Alex was still Harper’s beloved baby brother, no matter how hot he’d grown up to be.

  “Alex?” Alice, the youngest Wells child, pretty at not quite sixteen, appeared at the fence, her long brown hair concealing her face. “Mom says it’s time for dinner.”

  Alex grimaced and waved as he headed back over the fence to his yard. Pretty soon, he’d get a job and leave her behind, this time for good. Better not to start something, no matter how enticing her neighbor was. Kennedy slipped into the pool, hoping the water would help her cool her desire for just one more taste of Alex Wells.

  Chapter Four

  Alex didn’t see Kennedy again until the following Monday, even though he’d taken both Harper and his own mother, along with his sister Alice and niece Layla, to brunch at the Cafe to celebrate Mother’s Day. By mid-afternoon, he’d sent more than two dozen resumes out and headed over to the pool for a break. When he caught sight of Kennedy, lying on her stomach on a beach towel spread over a lounge chair, her skin gleaming in the sun, he stopped, gripping the top of the fence, transfixed. She must have sensed his presence because she turned her head toward him, her eyes hidden behind enormous sunglasses.

  “I can’t send out any more resumes. I need a break. ” Alex swung himself over the fence.
“Mind if I swim some laps?”

  “Help yourself.” Kennedy shrugged, causing the thin straps on her swimsuit to slide down her shoulders. Alex turned away and dove into the pool, swimming laps until his mind cleared and his muscles loosened. After about twenty minutes, he leaned against the pool wall, trying not to ogle Kennedy’s round bottom.

  “No luck on the job search?” Kennedy’s husky voice startled him.

  “I did a few Skype interviews but nothing so far.”

  “Interviews are the pits.”

  “The last one I did, the guy didn’t ask me anything about my qualifications. It was all the team-building questions instead. Stuff like what’s your most embarrassing moment?”

  “Well, now I have to hear that answer.”

  Alex shook his head, “Not going to fall for that one.”

  “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”

  “Okay.” Alex agreed. “You first.”

  “You were here for it.” Kennedy smiled impishly at him. “Don’t you remember?”

  Alex suddenly remembered a long-ago summer afternoon, when Kennedy and Harper sunbathed on these very same chaise lounges. He’d been mowing his parent’s lawn, stuck working while Harper relaxed and feeling very envious and put-upon about it. Wearing nothing but a tiny turquoise bikini, Kennedy lay on her stomach, the ties of her bikini top undone to prevent tan lines. Harper dripped ice over her back. Kennedy jumped up, leaving her top behind and giving Alex quite an eyeful.

  He hadn’t been able to speak in her presence for weeks. His mouth went dry at just the memory. But he shook his head, curious to hear what she’d say about it. She rolled onto her back, the tops of her full, creamy breasts spilling from her modest one-piece navy with white polka dot bathing suit. Alex fisted his hands under the water.

  “I witnessed many embarrassing moments. You’ll have to tell me which one you consider the most embarrassing.” Alex said.

  “I was teasing Harper about her crush and she dripped ice on my back. I jumped up and left my top behind.”

  “I’d forgotten about that.” Alex fibbed.

  “Your turn.”

  “So, my freshman year of college, there was this girl on my hall, Sunny.”

  “Sunny? Oh, this should be great.” Kennedy chuckled.

  “Anyway, I really wanted to ask her out.”

  “No doubt for her sunny personality.”

  “And her enormous—-“

  “Don’t say it!”

  “Charms.” Alex interrupted as Kennedy laughed. He’d always loved her laugh, a full, rich throaty sound, a cross between a belly laugh and a giggle. Kennedy had the best laugh. “So, I went to sit next to her at this big fountain on the quad. And I tripped.”

  Kennedy clapped a hand over her mouth but another laugh escaped. “Oh no.”

  “I fell headfirst into the fountain. I got soaked and I soaked her too. Two passing frat guys had to help me out.”

  Kennedy wiped tears of mirth from her eyes and choked out, “Did she go out with you after that?”

  “Nope. And I scraped my forehead. Got a scar and everything.”

  “But it’s a very manly scar.” Kennedy said solemnly before laughing again. He splashed her and she shrieked as the cool droplets hit her skin. “Is that why you wear bangs over your eyes?”

  “No. Just need a haircut.” Alex laughed along with her. He climbed from the pool and she tossed him a faded red and blue striped beach towel. He buried his face in the clean, soft towel, inhaling the scent of his childhood before flopping into the chaise lounge next to her.

  “Mom and Harper really loved the brunch yesterday. Alice even stopped scribbling in her notebooks long enough to eat. Layla loved her mac and cheese with the goldfish crackers on top. The little quiches were yummy. I ate ten.”

  “Such a guy.” Kennedy chuckled. “Glad they liked it. From the kitchen side, it seemed to go well.”

  “You always were a good cook.”

  “Chef now.” Kennedy squirted some sunblock into her palms and rubbed it into her calves, flexing her foot. Alex glanced away, desire singing through his veins.

  “I remember all those experiments you and Harper would come up with in the kitchen. Sometimes they were even edible.” Alex swiped her bottle of lotion, just as he had as a kid. “Is that what made you decide to become a chef?”

  Kennedy lay back on the lounge chair and drummed her fingers on her stomach, her eyes still hidden behind her sunglasses. “I guess so. After Dad left, my mom just gave up in the kitchen. If I wanted better than shake and bake or easy mac, I’d have to make it myself. I didn’t expect to love it so much. Coming up with new recipes or making a complicated one, it’s my favorite thing in the world. Being in my kitchen, it’s Zen for me.”

  “I get that.” Alex nodded and stared at the perfect blue sky for a moment. “I don’t think I’ve found that.”

  “Making oodles of money on Wall Street won’t do it for you?”

  Alex shrugged. “I don’t know what I want to do. I thought graduating would answer it but now I’m not sure.”

  “You’ll find it. Eventually.”

  Alex rolled over to face her, propping his head on his hand. “How did you know? Like for certain know you were doing the right thing with your life? That being a chef was right for you?”

  Kennedy thought for a moment, her fingers tapping on her belly again. “Once, about a month after I started culinary school, I was walking after class one day. I used to do that after school all the time—just walk in a random direction to get to see more of the city. And I was in a terrible mood because I’d really messed up the recipe we were working on that day. Sometimes I struggled with the language and not translating the ingredients correctly. I was wandering along, feeling sorry for myself, a bit homesick and thinking of dropping out.”

  “Really?” Alex stared at her but her face was inscrutable. “You always seemed so self-confident and assured.”

  “Hardly.” Kennedy shook her head, the copper strands in her hair glinting in the sunlight. “Anyway, I walked around a curve just as the lights on the Eiffel Tower came on. It was one of those magical, postcard moments. And it hit me that here I was living my life’s dream. I might as well enjoy it.”

  “Tell me about Paris. I’ve always wanted to go.”

  “Why didn’t you?”

  “Just got out of college. Been a bit busy.”

  “Could have done a junior year abroad or something.”

  “Could have.” Alex agreed and then blurted out. “But the girl I wanted to see Paris with was back in Ashford Falls then.”

  Kennedy flushed and bit her lip. “You’re a flirt. First poor Sunny and now me.”

  “Just you.” Alex said, leaning close to her, until their mouths were just inches apart. Her breath warmed his cheek and her full lips parted for him. “Do you still not remember that kiss?”

  She caught the tip of her pink tongue between her teeth before licking her lower lip. Alex watched mesmerized. Slowly, she slid her sunglasses off and met his gaze, her blue eyes steady and direct. “Why don’t you remind me?”

  “Remind you?” Alex whispered, his low, deep voice making her tighten with need and want and desire.

  He’d always been the pesky little kid brother, hanging around with her and Harper. Until one day, he wasn’t. She’d been just on the verge of graduating from high school and came out to lie near the pool instead of study for her finals. As she walked outside, she noticed the hot gardener, with broad shoulders and strong back muscles flexing as he mulched the Wells yard. Then the gardener turned around to wave and she’d recognized Alex.

  She’d been shocked. When had he grown up?

  For weeks, she fantasized about him, keeping her first secret from world-weary college girl Harper. Until her going-away party. She’d found him in the shadows of the pool house and, drunk on champagne and her dazzling future, she’d kissed him. And, startled and disoriented at the depth of the lust between them, she�
�d dashed off to Paris, leaving her heart behind.

  Now, the tables had turned. She’d be the one staying behind in Ashford Falls while he headed off for a bright future. But before he left, she wanted just one more taste of him, one chance to explore this heady desire. Kennedy pulled at the tie on her swimsuit top, freeing her breasts in wanton open invitation.

  Alex groaned, his mouth crashing down on hers as his warm hand curled around her breast. He traced her lower lip with his tongue, teasing as his thumb circled her nipple. She gasped, arching into his hand, desperate for more. He plunged his tongue into her mouth to twine with hers. She raked her fingers through his curls, pulling him closer to her, wrapping her leg around his waist.

  He broke the kiss and stood up, his chest heaving and his eyes glassy with desire. Without hesitating, she tugged at the waistband of his wet swim trunks, eager to see the rest of him to match reality with her fevered imagination. She peeled the trunks over his hips, easing him out of them. Kennedy wrapped her hand around him, stroking up and down the rigid length, learning what made him gasp and moan. He threw his head back, the sun gilding his nimbus of curls, as perfect looking as any marble statue.

  She sat up, intending to follow her hand with her mouth. But he dropped to his knees next to the chair. He helped her tug her swimsuit off, his fingers outlining patterns over her skin. His warm tongue traced a constellation of freckles on her hip and she shuddered, melting with desire, wanting more of him. Slowly, he licked his way down one thigh as his fingers found her center, exploring gently.

  Kennedy leaned back, propped on her elbows, eager to watch his sensual exploration of her body. With the sun warming her breasts as Alex teased her, she felt like a pagan goddess, their lovemaking elemental and timeless and eternal as every creature claiming its mate. Slowly, she let her knees fall open, revealing herself to him.

  She watched his gaze crawl up her body, loving the heat in his blue-gray eyes. Slowly, he lowered his head to her, his gaze never leaving her face and his fingers steadily teasing her slick wetness. His tongue laved over her most sensitive spot and she moaned. Her eyes closed and her head fell back as she surrendered to the pleasure he gave her.