Not His Type (19 page)

“Yeah, except
things don’t ‘just happen’ in your life, my friend,” Nick said, pointing at
Travis.  “You’re always in control of things, you know what people are going to
do before they do them – shoot, Coop, if your instinct and control wasn’t so
phenomenal, you and I both would be dead!  So don’t tell me it was just one of
those things.”

“Okay, fine!”
Travis growled.  “I
wanted
to kiss her!  She turned around and her lips
were right there, and I’d been breathing in her smell all night and I just
wanted to kiss her!”  He glared at Nick.  “Happy?”

“The question
is, are
you
happy?”  Nick rose and moved to the door.  “Anyway, I just
came by to pick up the contract for Herman Industries.”  At the door, he
stopped and turned to look at Travis, all teasing gone from his face.  “Listen,
Travis, there’s something you should know.  About Brooke.”

“What is it, Nick?”

“You remember
the other night when Will was razzing you about something going on with you and
Brooke?” Nick asked.  “I believe the words Will used were ‘short, plain and
plump’.  And you made it pretty clear you weren’t interested in Brooke as
anything other than a friend.”

“Yeah, I
remember that,” Travis said, frowning darkly.  “What about it?”

“Brooke heard
it.”

“What?” Travis
rose abruptly.  “She told you that?”

“No,” Nick
answered.  “I saw her at an open window.  The window closest to your house,
Travis.”

“Maybe she
didn’t really hear –“

“Oh, she heard. 
Trust me on this.”

Chapter
25

When Travis
arrived at Babycakes that afternoon, he couldn’t get his friend’s words out of
his head.  What must Brooke have thought after hearing Will’s words?  Travis
realized that must have been what prompted Brooke to cancel working with him
that evening, and to take a cab to work the next day.  She must think Travis
and his friends were the biggest jerks on the planet.  The bigger question was
how should Travis handle the situation?

Brooke came from
the back of the bakery.  She smiled at him as she untied the apron from around
her waist.

“I’ll be ready
in just a minute, Trav,” Brooke said.  “Let me grab my coat and tell Jazz bye.”

A moment later,
Brooke walked toward Travis, pulling her jacket on.  When she reached him, he
opened the door to the bakery for her.  He wore a mischievous grin as he opened
the Hummer’s door.  Before Brooke climbed in, Travis stopped her with a hand on
her arm.

“Did you know
you have frosting on your cheek?” he asked.

“Ugh!  Jazz managed
to squirt me with frosting!”  She swiped at her cheek.  “Did I get it?”

“No, let me.”

With his thumb,
Travis rubbed the frosting from Brooke’s cheek.  He licked the frosting from
his thumb, then looked down at her, his head tilted slightly.

“Did you get it
all now?” Brooke asked.

“Not yet,”
Travis answered, grabbing the ends of his scarf around Brooke’s neck and
pulling her toward him.  His voice suddenly sounding even deeper, and slightly
husky, he said, “There’s a bit more just…here….”

Travis slowly
lowered his head; his mouth touched Brooke’s lightly near the corner.  His lips
moved across hers, his tongue teasing gently.  Brooke couldn’t seem to help
herself; she leaned into Travis, returning his kiss.  She lifted her arms and
placed her hands on his shoulders, rising on her toes to meet his lips.

Inside the
bakery, Riley could barely contain his excitement, yelling, “Jazz!  Jazz, baby,
come look at this!”

Jazz popped out
of her office and stared at the kissing couple in front of her bakery.  She
pointed a finger, still staring.

“Is that…?”

“Yes!” Riley
laughed.  “Brooke and Travis!”

“Wow,” Jazz
breathed.  Her gaze slid to meet her husband’s.  “What…how…?”

“I don’t know! 
He came in, she got her coat, they walked out, he stopped her to wipe something
off her cheek and then –“  He pointed.  “That happened!”

“Yes!” Jazz said
triumphantly, her dark eyes twinkling.  “Another fortuitous accident!”

“What are you
talking about?”

“I got frosting
all over her today!” Jazz giggled.  “The pastry bag had an air bubble and I was
a little over-zealous in squeezing it out.  That has to be what he was wiping
off and – oh, no.  That can’t be good.”

At his wife’s
words, Riley turned in time to see Brooke push Travis backward.  She pointed a
finger at him and spoke very animatedly.  Jazz and Riley couldn’t hear her
words, but her demeanor made it clear she wasn’t happy with Travis.

“Travis!” Brooke
said firmly, in spite of the breathless quality of her voice.  “You have
got
to stop that!  You and I are friends.  Friends don’t kiss like that!”

Travis pushed
his hands deep in the front pockets of his jeans and rocked back on the heels
of his boots.  He seemed to be fighting a grin.

“What?” she
demanded.  “You think this is funny?”

“So you’re
saying you didn’t enjoy the kiss?” Travis drawled.  “Either of them?”

“Well, of course
I enjoyed them!” Brooke snapped.  Her eyes widened.  “I mean, no!  No, you need
to stop kissing me, Travis!”

“Then you did
like the kisses.”

“Yes, I mean,
no, I mean – Travis, stop it!”

Brooke smacked
Travis with her open palm; he instantly captured her hand, trapping it against
his broad chest.  With his other hand, he pulled her closer, his blue eyes
trapping her gaze as effectively as his hand had hers.  Inside the bakery, Jazz
and Riley had abandoned all pretense of working, and now leaned against the
counter, watching raptly as the scene outside unfolded.

“Brooke,” Travis
said quietly.  “Can you feel my heart?”  She nodded slowly and Travis smiled. 
“See?  I enjoyed the kisses, too.”

“But Travis, you
have to stop,” Brooke said, her voice barely audible.

“Why?  If we
both enjoy it, why not see where it goes?”

“Because nothing
between us will ever
go
anywhere!” she said with conviction.

“How do you know
that?” Travis demanded.

“Because I – I
just know.”

“You just know
because you aren’t interested in me?”  Brooke frowned at him, and Travis
continued.  “Or you know because you overheard a stupid conversation a few days
ago?”

Brooke’s violet
eyes widened and some of the color left her face.  She stared up at Travis for
a second, then looked away, but not before he saw the hurt in her eyes.  She
moved to climb up into the Hummer, but Travis refused to release her hand.

“Brooke.” 
Travis waited a moment.  “Brooke, look at me.”  Slowly she raised her eyes to
meet his.  “I’m sorry you heard that.  But if you heard it, you know that
I
wasn’t the one who said that.”

“No, I believe
you were the one who said there was nothing going on between us now or ever,”
Brooke said.

“I just wanted
to shut Will up,” he said.  His voice rumbled in his chest beneath Brooke’s
hand, and he stepped a little closer.  “Maybe I spoke too soon.”

“Travis, what –“

He silenced her
with another kiss.  Brooke once again allowed herself to get lost in Travis’
kiss.  His mouth was so warm, and he tasted of coffee and spice.  Brooke’s arms
slid around Travis’ neck and she stood on her toes again.  She gave herself
over completely to the kiss and held on to Travis as if her life depended on
it!  She could hear her own heart pounding in her ears.  That sound was
suddenly joined by the ringing of bells.  Travis raised his head and glanced
over his shoulder.

“Oh, don’t let
us interrupt!” Jazz said, struggling to contain her laughter, as she and Riley
left the bakery.

Wordlessly,
Travis helped Brooke into the Hummer.  He gave Riley and Jazz a little grin and
went around to climb behind the steering wheel.  He started the truck and
backed out of the spot in front of the bakery.  The closer they got to his and
Brooke’s houses, though, Travis found his smile and good mood fading.  Each
passing minute brought him closer to spending the evening with Lorna; he was
looking forward to the evening even less than he’d been a few days ago.

When they turned
into Travis’ driveway, Brooke quickly climbed out; just before she closed the
door, she gave him a smile that was barely there and said, “Have a good evening
with Lorna, Travis.”

“Brooke, wait!”
Travis called.

At first, Travis
didn’t think Brooke was going to stop; he hurried across the yard after her. 
Just before he reached Brooke, she stopped, turning to face him; Travis ran
into her, grabbing her shoulders to steady her.  Brooke looked up at him.

“Brooke, have
you given any thought to this Thursday?” Travis asked.  “Would you come with me
to my parents’ house?”

“I – Travis, are
you sure?” Brooke asked.  “Your mother may not want a stranger at her family’s
Thanksgiving table.”

“Are you
kidding?” he chuckled.  “Mom will love having you there.  Come on, say yes.”

“I…okay.”

“Great!”

Travis pulled
Brooke in for a quick, hard hug.  He pressed a kiss to the top of her head,
then released her.  He walked backward a few paces, grinning at her, his blue
eyes twinkling brightly.  Knowing he’d convinced Brooke to spend Thanksgiving
with his family somehow made the prospect of the evening ahead with Lorna a
little less depressing.

Chapter
26

The following
day, Brooke, Riley and Jazz all worked in the kitchen, taking turns manning the
counter out front.  They filled orders for cakes, cookies, pies, cupcakes, breads
and pastries.  Brooke couldn’t believe the amount of baked goods they made;
Jazz warned her Christmas would be even crazier.

“At least we
have three more days to get the rest done,” Riley said.  He looked at the clock
on the wall.  “It’s only two o’clock and I’m beat.”  He looked pointedly at
Jazz.  “Why don’t you girls knock off a little early?”

“Are you crazy?”
Brooke asked.  “Riley, we can’t leave you with all the work!”

“Sure we can!”
Jazz laughed.  She tossed a spoon into the big sink with a resounding clatter. 
“Come on, Brooke, we have somewhere to go!”  Jazz pulled off her apron and
kissed Riley.  “Love you, babe!  We’ll be back after a while.”

“Wait!” Brooke
said as Jazz pulled at her arm.  “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see!”
Jazz said, grinning.  “Come on!”

Brooke pulled
off her apron and followed Jazz out the back door to her truck.  A short time
later, Jazz pulled up in front of a hair salon.  Brooke looked curiously at
her.

“Jazz, what are
we doing here?”

“My cousin works
here,” Jazz said.  She was obviously very excited about something.  “Come on!”

Inside the
salon, Jazz hugged another woman, chattering rapidly in Spanish.  The two women
looked at Brooke as the talked and Brooke began to feel self-conscious and
nervous.  When Jazz grabbed Brooke by one hand and the other woman took her
other hand, Brooke resisted, pulling back slightly.

“Jazz, what are
you doing?” Brooke asked.

“Nothing
drastic, I promise,” Jazz answered.  “Marlena’s just going to trim your hair up
a little bit and…how do you feel about some highlights?”

“What?” 
Brooke’s eyebrows shot up and she pulled harder against Jazz.  She dropped her
voice to a whisper.  “Jazz, I can’t afford something like this!”

“You can pay me
back.”  Jazz leaned closer and added in her own whisper, “And Marlena’s going
to give you her family discount.”

“But why?  Why
are we doing this?”

“Are you going
with Travis this Thursday?” Jazz asked, one raven brow raised slightly.

“Well, yes, but
what does that have to do with –“

“It has everything
to do with it,” Jazz interrupted.  She gave Brooke’s hand a yank, pulling her
into a chair.  “Now behave.  And trust me.”  Jazz softened her words with a
smile.  “Please Brooke.”

Something in Jazz’s
expression caused Brooke to finally acquiesce.  She relaxed in the chair before
sitting up again and looking at Marlena with wide eyes.

“Nothing crazy,
okay?”

“Of course not,”
Jazz’s cousin agreed, smiling.  “I think just a few really thin golden brown
highlights, okay?  And I want to shape your hair just a little, maybe some
fluffy layers?”

“Fluffy?” Brooke
echoed.  She looked nervously at Jazz, who snickered.

“Just more body,
more volume,” she explained.

“Like hers,”
Marlena said, pointing at a poster on the wall.

“Oh.”  Brooke
nodded, relaxing again.  She leaned back in the chair and gave herself over to
Marlena’s hands.  An hour later, she stared at her reflection in the mirror. 
She shook her head from one side to the other, loving the way her hair fell in
glossy, silky layers around her face and shoulders.  It had been a long time
since Brooke’s hair had been styled professionally; for the past several years,
in order to save money, she’d simply trimmed the ends herself when necessary. 
Now, seeing how pretty her hair looked, she felt the sting of tears.  She
looked at Marlena, gratitude shining in her violet eyes.