A Taste of Trouble Part 24

The high-pitched blare of a car horn turned their attention to the street. Two men yelled from their cars, profanities that Liv wished she could throw back at Jake.

She sighed. "We fit in bed. I think we can both agree that's the extent of this relations.h.i.+p."

His foot kicked at the sidewalk and, tucked his hands tightly inside his pockets. He seemed to have calmed down, the sadness returning to his face. "What could I say to make it any better?"

"Good-bye, Jake." She admired him one more time before she turned and walked away.

She didn't look back. Instead, she continued to the end of the street and turned the corner. He didn't run after her. He didn't call her name. And it broke her heart.

Liv slumped against the brick wall of the building, trying desperately to catch her breath. It caught in her throat, unable to reach her lungs.

She s.h.i.+vered, realizing that she'd left without her coat. The rough brick sc.r.a.ped at her bare back. She wrapped her arms around her body, pulled away from the wall, and settled her mind.

This was all a bad dream. It had to be. She'd wake up with Jake beside her. She'd tell him and they would laugh. There was no way Jake knew her father. There was no way her father would use another person to try and get close to her. He was a coward when she was ten years old, leaving without a good-bye or an explanation. And he was still a coward.

But even more debilitating than the events that had just unfolded was the fact that she wanted Jake beside her. What a time to finally realize that. Right after she never wanted to look him the eye again.

Her BlackBerry chirped from inside her purse and she groaned. She wasn't in the mood to handle Jake. But curiosity got the best of her and she rummaged through her purse to find her phone. An unexpected name appeared on the call display.

Liv answered. "Corey? What's the matter?"

The teenager's voice was frantic on the other end. "She did it. She did it," Corey blubbered. "The bank, newspaper ad, all of it..."

"Corey? Corey, what are you talking about?"

"My mom. She did it." The young girl sobbed. She was hysterical.

"Nancy?" So her suspicions were valid. "She did what, Corey?"

"I heard her talking to some man. She arranged with him to make sure you didn't pa.s.s the health inspection. She said that she couldn't have you working on your own. That you would put her out of business."

Liv's head spun. Jesus, the kid had horrific timing. This was so not the phone call she needed right now.

That feeling of dread crept back into her body, only this time, she was right. This time, she had a reason to fear that things were going to take a turn for the worse, because they already had. In her personal life. And now in her professional life.

Liv listened to Corey's labored breathing on the other end of the phone. "Corey? Are you sure this is what you heard?"

"I swear, Liv. I heard her say all of those things. I'm so angry!" she screamed.

"It's okay." It wasn't, but this was a lot for a teenager to take in. Especially a teenager who had learned that her mother wasn't the person she thought she was. Liv knew exactly how she felt. "Corey, I have to go. I'll talk with you later. There's...I need to go."

So far, the day was shaping up to be the worst one of her life. She'd trusted Jake. Despite the nagging in her brain that said she needed to keep her distance. She'd trusted Nancy as a teacher and friend. A wave of nausea spread through her stomach, causing the hors d'oeuvres she'd wolfed at the party to make another appearance. When problems surfaced, she regrouped and moved on. She was a fighter. She wouldn't let them get the best of her. Not her father. Not Nancy. Especially not Jake Miller. She needed him least of all.

Five in the morning came very early. And Liv had a new day to start. When she walked into her bakery tomorrow, she'd begin the life she planned on from the beginning.

On her own.

Liv hailed a cab and made her way home. She didn't remember the ride-she didn't even remember walking into her building. But when the elevator dinged, she stepped out. The whoosh of the doors sounded behind her as she hesitated, unsure of her final destination.

She eyed the door to her left. Patti and Brett would likely be home, and it was early enough to knock. Her entire world was falling apart. She could use the comfort of friends right now.

Turning to the right, Liv looked toward her own door. On the ground, leaning against the gray corridor wall, was an object wrapped in brown paper. A red ribbon was tied around its width, then again lengthwise, as the ends met to form a bow in the top left corner.

Seeing the package waiting for her made the decision easy.

She walked the few steps to her door, willing to put money on who she thought left the package. She dug her keys out of her purse and opened the door, heading straight to her dining room table.

As she pulled at one end of the ribbon the knot released, making it easier for her to attack the brown paper. Dark wood peeked out from behind the wrapping, an over-sized frame with cream-colored matting stared back at her, a sepia-toned picture capturing her attention.

The camera had zeroed in on a woman's face. Creamy, flawless cheeks led to moist, plump lips. Straight teeth held tight her bottom lip in a seductive manner, as if trying to contain a moment of bliss. They were her lips. The other night, while Liv pleasured herself, Jake captured the moment and left this for her as a gift.

She grabbed the picture and walked with it to her bedroom. Without even changing her clothes or was.h.i.+ng off the makeup from her tear-stained face, Liv cuddled with the frame. She traced the line of her lips with her finger, imagining it was Jake's finger caressing her.

He had lied. He had spent so much energy trying to convince her that he was nothing like the man she spent her whole life trying to avoid. With one simple decision, Jake tore her world apart. Just like her father. And she had walked away. Just like her father.

She thought back to Jake's comment about becoming Vice President and everything came into focus. She was nothing but a means to an end. He hadn't cared about her, he just felt guilty. He'd gotten what he wanted, and she had fallen for every one of his lines. All she had to do now was mend her broken heart. Easier said than done.

Then there was Nancy. That was the more important situation.

She pushed the frame off the bed and it hit the ground. The crack of the gla.s.s was the last thing she heard before she drifted off to sleep.

It took everything Jake had not to chase after her. Liv had made it pretty clear that she was done. His efforts had been for nothing. But then again, what did he expect? He was a liar. And she had every right to blow him off.

People walked in and out of the hotel around him, oblivious to the fact that his heart had just been broken. He watched happy couples arm in arm laughing and smiling and he envied them. He'd really thought that Liv was the real thing. He'd really thought that despite his lie, they would persevere. But he needed answers. And whether he liked it or not, Shelton was going to tell him everything.

When Jake re-entered the ballroom, the party was still going strong. Music played in the background, but the steady buzz of chatter seemed to dissipate the farther he walked into the room. His boss stood in the middle of a group-of course, the center of attention. He was always the center of attention.

He sidled up behind Shelton. "I need to speak with you. Right now."

The rest of the group focused their attention on him while his boss's head lowered a few inches. Only a few. Not enough to admit that there was something going on between them.

"If you'll excuse us. I won't be a minute." Shelton grabbed his shoulder and led him to the corner of the large event s.p.a.ce. "Just what do you think you're doing? This is a work function, and I would appreciate if you would keep your childish tone to yourself."

"It seems you're the one who doesn't know what they're doing. You're the one who started the scene."

Shelton leaned closer. "You've done what I asked you to do. Your job is done."

"Is that all you care about?" Jake pointed. Liv hadn't confirmed his suspicion, but Shelton was going to. Right now. "Tell me the truth. She's...your daughter." He managed to get the two words out between heavy breaths.

"Yes. She's my daughter."

He'd never been in a fight, but he imagined this is what it felt like to get punched in the gut. This man that he'd admired for so many years ignited a rage so strong, he was willing to give it all up. "You're the one who left her. You left, and she never heard from you again."

"I-"

Jake stilled Shelton's words with a raised hand. He didn't even want an explanation. "Do you have any idea how closed off she is? Because of you." He jabbed his finger sharply in Shelton's chest. "How could you not tell me she was your daughter?"

"Why do you care so much? Did you...?"

Jake felt the guilt slip over his face like a mask. "You manipulated me into doing your dirty work." Shelton took a step forward, but Jake's words stopped him in his tracks. "You left her mother and her to struggle on their own. You're a selfish b.a.s.t.a.r.d."

He'd just spent the last three weeks trying to convince Liv that he wasn't her father. The person she despised most in the world. And what did he do? He delivered the man right to her without even knowing it.

He had been so blind. He had looked up to his boss. Or at least, he used to. Now, all he saw was a washed-up old man trying to live the life of a twenty-year-old.

"She rejected you." Jake shook his head in disbelief, remembering his boss's justification for Jake's tactics. "At least now you know where you stand," Jake continued. "She ran at the sight of you."

"That she did." Robert shoved his hands in the pockets of his suit. "The promotion is yours. You did as I asked."

His promotion. The thing he wanted most in the world. Until he met Liv. He did everything he could to ensure he would get both, have his cake and eat it, too. But his plan backfired. "I don't want it." He didn't even have to think twice at his decision. "I quit."

"Jake, you can't be serious. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. You'll be my second in command." Shelton seemed to think he was bluffing. But how could he work for a man he no longer respected?

"I know." And he didn't care. "I thought it was something that I wanted, but your daughter, she changed that."

"You've fallen for her." He didn't pose it as a question.

If it had been, the answer would have been a resounding yes. He had fallen head over heels in love with the woman who now hated his guts.

"I'll clean out my desk." Jake walked through the ballroom, aware that the crowd stared. Before he pushed through the doors, he caught the eye of his a.s.sistant, Maggie. She knew it without even having to ask. Maggie had been his better half for the last two years. Instead of going home to a wife or girlfriend who knew him inside out, it was his a.s.sistant who knew what he liked in his coffee, where he sent his dry cleaning. She could tell when he was lying or fighting off a cold.

Liv had opened his eyes, made him a believer. That love he'd been told about did exist. That deep down, all-consuming, electric feeling that he'd felt only once.

Now, he would suffer the consequences. The pain. The emotional turmoil that came with losing someone you loved.

Jake had lost his only shot at true love. It was dead and buried the minute he'd agreed to Shelton's deal.

Chapter Twenty-One.

Liv stared at the twelve rows of cupcakes laid out across the island in the kitchen of her bakery. Six batches since she'd arrived early that morning. In record time. And she'd make as many as she had to in order to forget about Jake Miller.

She was running on adrenaline now. Sleep had been out of the picture last night. Betrayal after betrayal after betrayal had haunted her. She'd wished it were all a nightmare. She'd hoped it were a dream. But waking up to the cracked frame of that picture Jake had left for her brought reality cras.h.i.+ng down. She pushed it out of her mind, showered and dressed, and made her way to work before the birds even started to sing.

In between waiting for the oven timer to go off, she organized the fridge, cleaned the bathroom, and dusted the tables in the front of the bakery.

She wasn't used to being by herself. At Sweet Creations, there was always Nancy. At the bar, there was always a waitress on staff. But here, she was utterly alone.

Working in the kitchen didn't help her loneliness. She didn't have a Nancy to check up on her. She didn't have a Corey to pa.s.s the time talking about boy bands and the latest trends on Twitter.

She picked up the piping bag and squeezed the chocolate b.u.t.tercream over the coffee-flavored cupcake. She'd had it down to a science, four swirls of her hand and the cupcake was covered with a thick layer of icing.

She sniffed, and noticed a burning smell. She dropped the cupcake and turned to the ovens. Pulling open the door, she groaned. She'd forgotten to set the timer.

"b.a.l.l.s!" She grabbed the m.u.f.fin tray out of the oven and set it on the island. The edges were crisp, the tops a little too dark for her liking. They had cooked for a few minutes too long. Completely edible, but not sellable. It looked like Patti and Brett were going to get a cupcake surprise tonight.

She opened the back door to let out the smell. Customers wanted the sweet smell of cupcakes when they walked in, not the stiff scent of fire-roasted cake batter.

At ten she opened the doors and waited. And waited. The mind was an evil organ. When left idle, it worried, nagged, and focused on unimportant things. The state of her cupcakes, the future of her business, her friends and family...those were the important things. But instead of focusing on the things that mattered, it was lies and betrayal that sat front and center in her mind, no matter how many times she told herself this would only be a blip in the chronology of her life.

By noon she had sold half of what she had made that morning, and silently cursed herself for not setting the timer. Those twenty-four cupcakes would have come in handy.

With another lull in business, Liv ducked into the kitchen and rolled out some fondant, cutting out small leaves. Just as she was about to etch the veins on the third leaf, the jingle of the front door sang.

"How may I help you?"

A woman with blond hair and over-sized sungla.s.ses had walked in with a stroller, her designer purse in one hand and phone in the other. The baby girl cooed from the stroller, all bundled in winter gear, her designer boots swaying back and forth. She had picked a good area for people who spent money on frivolous things. Hopefully cupcakes counted as their idea of frivolous.

The woman looked up from her phone and pulled her sungla.s.ses to the top of her head. "My son is having friends over after school and I don't feel like making a snack." Did she ever make snacks? She didn't look like the type.

"How many children?" Liv asked, shus.h.i.+ng her inner judge.

The woman sighed. "There will be five."

"How about an order of six? There'll even be one left over for you." Liv smiled. Not that people ever needed an excuse to eat cupcakes.

"Oh, no." She waved her phone-free hand in the air. "No carbs for me."

Right. Of course.

"Can I just have five? What about those ones?" She pointed to the mocha.

"Those have a little bit of coffee in them. Let me suggest the Chocolate Heaven. Chocolate cake, chocolate icing. No kid will turn that down."

"Sure. Five of those, please."

Liv beamed. She had no idea it would be so exciting to make a sale. Hopefully the woman didn't see how ridiculous she looked.

Once the five had been put into their pink box with the see-through plastic cutout, the showcase looked pretty bleak. But this was a good indication as to how much she would sell every weekday. The less she had to run to the ovens to replenish her product, the better. It would take time, but she'd get the hang of it.

"Do you smell something burning?"

"Oh." Liv tensed. She didn't want a customer to know she actually burned something. "It's the new ovens. They're still smelling up a bit whenever they're used."

The woman shrugged and took out her credit card.

Since the woman didn't actually buy a half dozen, Liv had to charge her individually. She didn't seem to mind. However, it was the perfect opportunity to give her the promotion card. Liv stamped five cupcakes across the card and handed it to the woman.

"Here's a cupcake card. When you buy twelve individual cupcakes, you get the thirteenth free."