Tea & Comfort (Madrona Island Series Book 2), page 11
Luke considered the idea. “Lavender chocolate Merlot could be a killer combination. Let’s talk business one day next week.”
“Sure,” she said. To be close to him again was what she wanted. There could be no more lies between them. It was time to confront the past they’d both been bruised by.
Heat blew fiercely into the barn from the overhead vents and the crowd grew larger.
Jude and Ryan waved from the corner by the door and motioned for them to follow. “Let’s go,” Kyla said, her hand on Luke’s back.
They made their way through the crowd and happily out the door into the cool, fresh air.
“Yes. Oxygen,” Jude said exhaling, her breath rising like mist in the air.
Ian and Lily were already outside huddling close to keep each other warm. “Let’s go get pie,” Lily said.
Kyla was glad to see Lily was hungry again. But she still hadn’t put much weight on.
“I’ve heard about this famous pie place since I moved here,” Ryan said. “My boss finally gave me a day off to try it.”
Jude punched Ryan in the arm. “Can’t help it if we’ve been extra busy since you started cooking.”
They followed Lily to the old silo-shaped building that housed Island Pie Café. Ian held open the door and the group seated themselves at a table by the window facing the dormant gardens and duck pond. A waitress dropped menus at the table and took coffee orders.
“So, what’s good?” Luke asked.
“Everything,” Kyla said. She couldn’t decide between the seasonal pumpkin pie made from scratch or her favorite loganberry pie hot with ice cream.
“I’m having the salted caramel apple pie,” Lily announced.
Jude put her menu down on the table. “Me, too.”
“Me three,” Luke said.
Kyla decided on the loganberry à la mode, and Ian ordered the rhubarb pie.
“This is one of my favorite places on the island,” Kyla said. “Fresh peach pie in the summer and every berry imaginable. And in winter, perfect lattes and soups made from scratch.”
“Good thing it’s a bit of a drive from Island Thyme Café or we’d have lunch competition,” Jude said.
Ryan coughed.
“Of course they don’t have a five-star chef like we do,” Jude said.
The pie came and the conversation stopped as everyone dug into the buttery crust and perfectly filled slices. Kyla glanced out the window and watched the ducks huddling up together to keep warm. In the spring there would be baby ducks and geese everywhere. She’d have to bring Luke back here.
Lily pushed back her chair. “Excuse me all. Off to the ladies’ room.”
Kyla followed close behind as Lily hurried off. Once inside Kyla asked, “How are you doing with the morning sickness? Did the herbs I gave you help?”
Lily leaned over the sink. “They did some, but I’m still dizzy several times a day and I’m up half the night.”
Kyla scrutinized Lily. She did not like what she saw. There was a green tinge to her skin and dark circles under her eyes. Eyes that displayed fear.
“What if…?” Lily started.
“It will be fine,” Kyla said. “Come into my shop tomorrow and let me make you a tea blend to help.”
“Will you do a tea leaf reading for me at the same time?” Lily whispered.
Kyla hesitated. She didn’t want to scare Lily or use the tea leaves to predict anything like this. “I don’t need to,” she said. “I can see a pretty little tow-head girl running around your porch. All will be well.”
“Is it a vision?” Lily asked.
Kyla tuned deep inside herself. The child’s image glowed in the sun, but a dark cloud was blowing by. “It is,” Kyla said. “There may be a rough patch, but it will pass.”
Lily looked visibly relieved. “Thank you,” she said. “Let’s get back. I don’t want to worry Ian.”
Back at the table, everyone was talking about the upcoming holiday parade.
“You all have to come,” Jude said. “Even the fire department shows up with the firemen and women in Santa Costumes and drive down Front Street.”
“That is something I’d like to see,” Luke said.
Kyla nodded.
“It’s a date then,” Jude said. “We can all meet up at the café and stand out on the sidewalk and watch together.”
It was something to look forward to for Kyla. This would be her third parade since she’d moved to the island. But if all went well, it would be her first one standing beside the man she loved.
***
Luke turned on the car lights before he pulled out of the parking lot from the pie café. It was 4:00 in the afternoon, and already the moon was lighting up the darkening sky. He waited for the car to warm up a bit and then turned up the heat.
“Look at the clouds,” Kyla said. “They have a pink hue. Perhaps we will get a little snow.”
“A little snow?” Luke asked.
“It’s not New York, Luke. We don’t even get snow every winter. Mostly dustings and a foot here or there. But when it does snow, the whole island closes down.”
Luke upped the heat. “It’s cold enough outside, that’s for sure.”
“When we get to my house,” Kyla said, “why don’t you come in for my special hot chocolate.”
“Count me in,” he said. It would also give them some time to talk. Alone.
***
Luke was glad Kyla had left her propane heat on so the house was warm. The cats were cuddled together on the rocker in the corner. He sat on a stool by the eating bar and watched Kyla make hot chocolate from scratch. She poured in the milk and whisked in the chocolate. Her hair looked like fine brandy as it curled down over her shoulders. Her sweater and jeans showed off her soft curves. She was as beautiful as he remembered, and it had nothing to do with fancy clothes and stylists.
She smiled back at him. “My specialty for all that ails you.”
“And what makes it special?” he asked.
Kyla added some herbs into the warm milk. “A pinch of cayenne to warm you and a sprinkle of lavender for relaxation.”
He thought about what was ailing him. Tonight he was going to have to clear up a few things with her if he was ever going to free his mind and move forward.
Kyla poured the warm mixture into some tall mugs, placed them on the counter, and pulled a stool up next to Luke.
He sipped the spicy hot cocoa and felt warmth race through his body.
“It has a bit of a kick,” she said.
“That it does,” he said with a laugh. “And just in time.” Luke pointed out her dining room window where a light snow had started to fall. The back porch light illuminated the large flakes drifting slowly down from the sky, coating the ground in a thin white carpet.
“I wonder if it will stick,” Kyla said.
Luke watched her childlike expression as she watched the snow and longed to pull her outside and dance in the icy shower.
She moved over to the window. “I’d love to go outside and feel it fall on my face. But I guess it’s best if I wait until I feel a little stronger first,” she said with a sigh.
He stood behind her and put his arms around her shoulders. “Soon. I’m sure it will be soon.”
Kyla turned her eyes, glimmering like dark emeralds, staring into his. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She tasted of sweet chocolate with a bit of spice. Her arms clung to him as she pressed her body to his. Luke ran his fingers under her sweater and caressed her warm back. He wanted her, all of her. Now. He forced himself to step back and see her reaction. She swooned. Her lips parted and her eyes pooled with longing.
“Darcy,” he said before he realized the wrong name he had used.
She snapped back to attention, fear lacing her eyes. “Darcy is gone, Luke.”
“I’m so sorry,” Luke said, but the mood was broken. Outside, the snow had really picked up and it was sticking. He considered driving home while he still could. But he had to know more. That winter in New York after Kyla had disappeared had been the coldest of his life. At one point he’d walked through the freezing wind and ice and considered lying down in a snowdrift and never waking up. The melodrama of the moment had sent him into laughter before breaking him into tears. He’d left New York for sunny California and not looked back. Until now.
Kyla turned, walked over to the loveseat, and curled up in a corner. She pulled her knees up and hugged them, looking like an innocent young girl. Perhaps she was. She was only twenty-seven, Luke reminded himself. And she’d been alone, it sounded like, for most of her life. He wanted to hold her, protect her, and tell her everything was going to be all right.
He sat down in the opposite corner of the small sofa and kept his distance for the moment.
“For the record,” Kyla said, “I was going to tell you everything right after you proposed to me in New York.”
The words broke Luke into a million pieces. “Why didn’t you?”
“We’d only known each other a month. I was so shocked by the proposal and so blissfully happy. I knew it was time to throw my fear to the wind.” Kyla sat up straight and looked him directly in the eye. “Then three things happened.”
“And what were they?” he asked.
Her voice was raspy. “First, it was your brother’s call. Imagine my shock when Stefan notified me that you were all but engaged to Lisbeth.”
“We were never engaged or even really dating,” Luke said. “I’d forgotten she existed.”
Kyla held up her hand. “Let me finish.”
Luke leaned back into the couch. He should have told her, but when he did remember about Lisbeth, he hadn’t wanted to mention anything that might break the incredible rightness of their love.
“Second, I was going to call you and find out why you’d lied to me. The phone rang and I picked it up thinking it was you. It was the doctor, and everything I knew and everything I was came abruptly to an end with that call.”
Luke nodded. “I can understand that.”
She looked right through him. “Could you really have?” she asked. “You knew me as a wealthy supermodel, glamorous and free. When all that came crashing down, would you have stayed?”
Kyla stopped to calm herself.
“And three, I loved you. For the first time in my life, I loved someone enough to care about them first. How could I saddle you with a sickly wife? How would I ever know whether you stayed out of guilt or love? You deserved more. And so I left.”
The weight of her confession crushed him. All the anger, regret, soul searching, and longing had brought him here back to Kyla. And she deserved more than a man who’d spent the last few years feeling sorry for himself.
He reached his hand out to her. “How can you ever forgive me?”
She burst into tears and he scooped her into arms and cradled her. Luke kissed her silky hair and wiped her warm tears with his fingers. “No more crying, Kyla. I love you. I always have and always will.”
She gazed up at him. “And I love you.”
***
Kyla jolted awake. Someone was in her kitchen. The smell of coffee brewing alerted her. She lifted the blanket, and memories returned. Luke had stayed over last night. On the couch. The snow had been too heavy for him to drive home and he’d volunteered to sleep in the living room. She’d been torn, but they still needed time before they jumped back into their relationship. She slipped on her turquoise silk robe and slippers and wandered out to the kitchen.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Luke said, grinning at her. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Any way you like them,” she said.
Having a shirtless man with sculpted abs in her kitchen was a first. Nor could she remember the last time someone had made her breakfast. And never in this house.
“Got any fresh herbs?” Luke asked.
“Is that a joke? In the middle of winter?” she said.
Luke winked at her. “Fresh dried will do.”
Kyla went to her spice cabinet and brought down two bottles. “I have rosemary and a special Herbs de Provence I mixed up this summer.”
She watched him scramble the eggs with a whisk and pinch the herbs before dropping them in.
“Hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I took out the goat cheese and spinach as well.”
“Don’t mind at all.” Kyla cut up some slices of the local sourdough bread she’d bought in town and popped them into the toaster. The fresh garlic-and-herb butter she’d made would go perfect with the meal. She poured the coffee and brought cream to the table, then handed Luke two royal blue ceramic plates.
She watched as he slid the eggs off the pan onto each plate next to the buttered toast and carried them to the table. Outside the window there was a coating of snow on the pine boughs, but the rain had started and the snow was melting fast in her yard. He would go home soon, she realized. But he was here now and that is what counted.
“You are quite the cook,” she said.
“I had a little practice when I was living with my uncle and training with him at his winery. Breakfast is my specialty. Perhaps dinner at my place this week?”
“I’ll think about it,” she said grinning. She savored the delicious blend of herbs masterfully mixed with egg and creamy cheese.
“Okay. I get the hint. You want to take it slow. How about lunch?”
Kyla pretended to ponder the idea. Slow was good. “I want it to last this time,” she said, blushing at her boldness.
He put his fork down and met her eyes. “Whatever it takes. Just tell me.”
She nodded, sipped her coffee, and decided to change the subject. “So how’s business coming along?”
Luke put his fork down on the plate. “I’ve been meaning to tell you. Kelly, the reporter from Island Times, is doing a big write-up on my new ownership. Do you know the magazine, Island Vineyards?”
“I’ve seen it around town,” she said.
“They’re widely read and they contacted me for an interview. It will be great publicity.”
Kyla was happy for him but still uneasy. “My little island escape won’t be staying private much longer, I fear.”
Luke paled. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Let’s just hope the tabloids don’t get wind of the long-lost model found at last.”
“I guess if I found you, others will, too,” Luke said. “Sorry for being so thoughtless.”
Kyla stroked his smooth cheek, letting her fingers linger. “It’s not your fault or your problem.”
He attempted a smile. “I don’t want it to be yours either.”
Kyla pushed her fork around her plate. The tabloids could make her life hell. She enjoyed her anonymity here, her privacy, and wanted her fans to remember her as she’d been. In the past, she’d done everything she could to avoid exposure, but it no longer seemed that important.
Kyla forced a smile. “Perhaps it is time to show my face to the world again.”
“And a very beautiful face it is,” Luke said. “If you’re ready, I’ll do all I can to help.”
Over the last couple of years, Kyla had thought often of calling her booking agent, Arlene. She felt terrible that she hadn’t at least told her the truth. Arlene still deposited her commissions in the account they agreed on and asked no questions. But they’d been very close and Kyla knew she’d hurt Arlene’s feelings.
“I think I’ll call Arlene. It’s time.”
Luke leaned across the table and kissed her on the cheek. “Brave girl.”
It was about time courage took the lead in her life and cowardice fell to the wayside.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Luke looked out the misty window of the tasting room at the dormant vineyard stretching across the hill. Grey clouds hung low over the vines and barren pasture. Yet he was happier than he’d ever been. Orders kept pouring in for the holiday blend all month. The Saturday afternoon wine tastings and small plates with Chef Ryan had also been successful. The biggest hit of all was the new chocolate loganberry truffles he had commissioned Michaelene, the local pastry chef, to create. She used the liqueur from the island distillery down the road, and a pinch of lavender from Kyla’s harvest added magic.
The loganberry liqueur was made in small batches by distilling brandy into local wines, including Luke’s blends. The juice was aged with skins of locally grown loganberries, Luke’s favorite. The liqueur had won medals for its garnet color and exotic aromas, and when mixed with the finest dark chocolate, it was pure bliss in the truffles.
Kyla never left his thoughts. He’d fallen more in love with her every day. Luke had thought long and hard about the type of engagement ring he wanted to buy for her. He had returned the last one, with its seven-carat brilliance, a few years ago. That was not what he wanted this time around. This ring would not be about impressing her, but something meaningful instead. Luke had called his jeweler friend in Sonoma County and told him a bit about Kyla’s heritage and taste. He had suggested a Celtic claddagh ring in exquisite rose gold with a marquis center diamond and two small emeralds embedded on the sides. It sounded perfect, and the custom-made ring would be delivered tomorrow. A day before the parade and two days before Christmas. Just in time. Luke thought of his mother and how she’d always wanted to see him happily married. Instead of an obligatory holiday call, he decided to call her and share all his good news.
The phone rang at the family home and Luke silently hoped his father would not answer. The housekeeper answered on the fourth ring. “Bradford residence.”
“Merry Christmas, Rose. It’s Lucas. Is my mother there?”
“Merry Christmas, Lucas. Will you be coming home for the holidays?” she asked. Luke could hear the hope in her voice. She’d been with the family since Luke was a little boy.
“You never know,” he said.
“I’ll go get your mother. She’ll be so happy to hear from you.”
It felt good to do something to make his mother happy. Luke had walked out on the family and hardly called during the last year. It wasn’t fair to his mother, but Luke could not take one more minute of his father’s controlling and dismissive attitude. He’d almost laughed when Luke had told him he was going to marry the model Darcy Devereux back then. Wait until he heard Kyla was a shop owner now. Luke couldn’t care less. He’d probably never please his father and still please himself too. And the last two years had taught him the importance of living your own life and following your own passion.
“Sure,” she said. To be close to him again was what she wanted. There could be no more lies between them. It was time to confront the past they’d both been bruised by.
Heat blew fiercely into the barn from the overhead vents and the crowd grew larger.
Jude and Ryan waved from the corner by the door and motioned for them to follow. “Let’s go,” Kyla said, her hand on Luke’s back.
They made their way through the crowd and happily out the door into the cool, fresh air.
“Yes. Oxygen,” Jude said exhaling, her breath rising like mist in the air.
Ian and Lily were already outside huddling close to keep each other warm. “Let’s go get pie,” Lily said.
Kyla was glad to see Lily was hungry again. But she still hadn’t put much weight on.
“I’ve heard about this famous pie place since I moved here,” Ryan said. “My boss finally gave me a day off to try it.”
Jude punched Ryan in the arm. “Can’t help it if we’ve been extra busy since you started cooking.”
They followed Lily to the old silo-shaped building that housed Island Pie Café. Ian held open the door and the group seated themselves at a table by the window facing the dormant gardens and duck pond. A waitress dropped menus at the table and took coffee orders.
“So, what’s good?” Luke asked.
“Everything,” Kyla said. She couldn’t decide between the seasonal pumpkin pie made from scratch or her favorite loganberry pie hot with ice cream.
“I’m having the salted caramel apple pie,” Lily announced.
Jude put her menu down on the table. “Me, too.”
“Me three,” Luke said.
Kyla decided on the loganberry à la mode, and Ian ordered the rhubarb pie.
“This is one of my favorite places on the island,” Kyla said. “Fresh peach pie in the summer and every berry imaginable. And in winter, perfect lattes and soups made from scratch.”
“Good thing it’s a bit of a drive from Island Thyme Café or we’d have lunch competition,” Jude said.
Ryan coughed.
“Of course they don’t have a five-star chef like we do,” Jude said.
The pie came and the conversation stopped as everyone dug into the buttery crust and perfectly filled slices. Kyla glanced out the window and watched the ducks huddling up together to keep warm. In the spring there would be baby ducks and geese everywhere. She’d have to bring Luke back here.
Lily pushed back her chair. “Excuse me all. Off to the ladies’ room.”
Kyla followed close behind as Lily hurried off. Once inside Kyla asked, “How are you doing with the morning sickness? Did the herbs I gave you help?”
Lily leaned over the sink. “They did some, but I’m still dizzy several times a day and I’m up half the night.”
Kyla scrutinized Lily. She did not like what she saw. There was a green tinge to her skin and dark circles under her eyes. Eyes that displayed fear.
“What if…?” Lily started.
“It will be fine,” Kyla said. “Come into my shop tomorrow and let me make you a tea blend to help.”
“Will you do a tea leaf reading for me at the same time?” Lily whispered.
Kyla hesitated. She didn’t want to scare Lily or use the tea leaves to predict anything like this. “I don’t need to,” she said. “I can see a pretty little tow-head girl running around your porch. All will be well.”
“Is it a vision?” Lily asked.
Kyla tuned deep inside herself. The child’s image glowed in the sun, but a dark cloud was blowing by. “It is,” Kyla said. “There may be a rough patch, but it will pass.”
Lily looked visibly relieved. “Thank you,” she said. “Let’s get back. I don’t want to worry Ian.”
Back at the table, everyone was talking about the upcoming holiday parade.
“You all have to come,” Jude said. “Even the fire department shows up with the firemen and women in Santa Costumes and drive down Front Street.”
“That is something I’d like to see,” Luke said.
Kyla nodded.
“It’s a date then,” Jude said. “We can all meet up at the café and stand out on the sidewalk and watch together.”
It was something to look forward to for Kyla. This would be her third parade since she’d moved to the island. But if all went well, it would be her first one standing beside the man she loved.
***
Luke turned on the car lights before he pulled out of the parking lot from the pie café. It was 4:00 in the afternoon, and already the moon was lighting up the darkening sky. He waited for the car to warm up a bit and then turned up the heat.
“Look at the clouds,” Kyla said. “They have a pink hue. Perhaps we will get a little snow.”
“A little snow?” Luke asked.
“It’s not New York, Luke. We don’t even get snow every winter. Mostly dustings and a foot here or there. But when it does snow, the whole island closes down.”
Luke upped the heat. “It’s cold enough outside, that’s for sure.”
“When we get to my house,” Kyla said, “why don’t you come in for my special hot chocolate.”
“Count me in,” he said. It would also give them some time to talk. Alone.
***
Luke was glad Kyla had left her propane heat on so the house was warm. The cats were cuddled together on the rocker in the corner. He sat on a stool by the eating bar and watched Kyla make hot chocolate from scratch. She poured in the milk and whisked in the chocolate. Her hair looked like fine brandy as it curled down over her shoulders. Her sweater and jeans showed off her soft curves. She was as beautiful as he remembered, and it had nothing to do with fancy clothes and stylists.
She smiled back at him. “My specialty for all that ails you.”
“And what makes it special?” he asked.
Kyla added some herbs into the warm milk. “A pinch of cayenne to warm you and a sprinkle of lavender for relaxation.”
He thought about what was ailing him. Tonight he was going to have to clear up a few things with her if he was ever going to free his mind and move forward.
Kyla poured the warm mixture into some tall mugs, placed them on the counter, and pulled a stool up next to Luke.
He sipped the spicy hot cocoa and felt warmth race through his body.
“It has a bit of a kick,” she said.
“That it does,” he said with a laugh. “And just in time.” Luke pointed out her dining room window where a light snow had started to fall. The back porch light illuminated the large flakes drifting slowly down from the sky, coating the ground in a thin white carpet.
“I wonder if it will stick,” Kyla said.
Luke watched her childlike expression as she watched the snow and longed to pull her outside and dance in the icy shower.
She moved over to the window. “I’d love to go outside and feel it fall on my face. But I guess it’s best if I wait until I feel a little stronger first,” she said with a sigh.
He stood behind her and put his arms around her shoulders. “Soon. I’m sure it will be soon.”
Kyla turned her eyes, glimmering like dark emeralds, staring into his. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. She tasted of sweet chocolate with a bit of spice. Her arms clung to him as she pressed her body to his. Luke ran his fingers under her sweater and caressed her warm back. He wanted her, all of her. Now. He forced himself to step back and see her reaction. She swooned. Her lips parted and her eyes pooled with longing.
“Darcy,” he said before he realized the wrong name he had used.
She snapped back to attention, fear lacing her eyes. “Darcy is gone, Luke.”
“I’m so sorry,” Luke said, but the mood was broken. Outside, the snow had really picked up and it was sticking. He considered driving home while he still could. But he had to know more. That winter in New York after Kyla had disappeared had been the coldest of his life. At one point he’d walked through the freezing wind and ice and considered lying down in a snowdrift and never waking up. The melodrama of the moment had sent him into laughter before breaking him into tears. He’d left New York for sunny California and not looked back. Until now.
Kyla turned, walked over to the loveseat, and curled up in a corner. She pulled her knees up and hugged them, looking like an innocent young girl. Perhaps she was. She was only twenty-seven, Luke reminded himself. And she’d been alone, it sounded like, for most of her life. He wanted to hold her, protect her, and tell her everything was going to be all right.
He sat down in the opposite corner of the small sofa and kept his distance for the moment.
“For the record,” Kyla said, “I was going to tell you everything right after you proposed to me in New York.”
The words broke Luke into a million pieces. “Why didn’t you?”
“We’d only known each other a month. I was so shocked by the proposal and so blissfully happy. I knew it was time to throw my fear to the wind.” Kyla sat up straight and looked him directly in the eye. “Then three things happened.”
“And what were they?” he asked.
Her voice was raspy. “First, it was your brother’s call. Imagine my shock when Stefan notified me that you were all but engaged to Lisbeth.”
“We were never engaged or even really dating,” Luke said. “I’d forgotten she existed.”
Kyla held up her hand. “Let me finish.”
Luke leaned back into the couch. He should have told her, but when he did remember about Lisbeth, he hadn’t wanted to mention anything that might break the incredible rightness of their love.
“Second, I was going to call you and find out why you’d lied to me. The phone rang and I picked it up thinking it was you. It was the doctor, and everything I knew and everything I was came abruptly to an end with that call.”
Luke nodded. “I can understand that.”
She looked right through him. “Could you really have?” she asked. “You knew me as a wealthy supermodel, glamorous and free. When all that came crashing down, would you have stayed?”
Kyla stopped to calm herself.
“And three, I loved you. For the first time in my life, I loved someone enough to care about them first. How could I saddle you with a sickly wife? How would I ever know whether you stayed out of guilt or love? You deserved more. And so I left.”
The weight of her confession crushed him. All the anger, regret, soul searching, and longing had brought him here back to Kyla. And she deserved more than a man who’d spent the last few years feeling sorry for himself.
He reached his hand out to her. “How can you ever forgive me?”
She burst into tears and he scooped her into arms and cradled her. Luke kissed her silky hair and wiped her warm tears with his fingers. “No more crying, Kyla. I love you. I always have and always will.”
She gazed up at him. “And I love you.”
***
Kyla jolted awake. Someone was in her kitchen. The smell of coffee brewing alerted her. She lifted the blanket, and memories returned. Luke had stayed over last night. On the couch. The snow had been too heavy for him to drive home and he’d volunteered to sleep in the living room. She’d been torn, but they still needed time before they jumped back into their relationship. She slipped on her turquoise silk robe and slippers and wandered out to the kitchen.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Luke said, grinning at her. “How do you like your eggs?”
“Any way you like them,” she said.
Having a shirtless man with sculpted abs in her kitchen was a first. Nor could she remember the last time someone had made her breakfast. And never in this house.
“Got any fresh herbs?” Luke asked.
“Is that a joke? In the middle of winter?” she said.
Luke winked at her. “Fresh dried will do.”
Kyla went to her spice cabinet and brought down two bottles. “I have rosemary and a special Herbs de Provence I mixed up this summer.”
She watched him scramble the eggs with a whisk and pinch the herbs before dropping them in.
“Hope you don’t mind,” he said. “I took out the goat cheese and spinach as well.”
“Don’t mind at all.” Kyla cut up some slices of the local sourdough bread she’d bought in town and popped them into the toaster. The fresh garlic-and-herb butter she’d made would go perfect with the meal. She poured the coffee and brought cream to the table, then handed Luke two royal blue ceramic plates.
She watched as he slid the eggs off the pan onto each plate next to the buttered toast and carried them to the table. Outside the window there was a coating of snow on the pine boughs, but the rain had started and the snow was melting fast in her yard. He would go home soon, she realized. But he was here now and that is what counted.
“You are quite the cook,” she said.
“I had a little practice when I was living with my uncle and training with him at his winery. Breakfast is my specialty. Perhaps dinner at my place this week?”
“I’ll think about it,” she said grinning. She savored the delicious blend of herbs masterfully mixed with egg and creamy cheese.
“Okay. I get the hint. You want to take it slow. How about lunch?”
Kyla pretended to ponder the idea. Slow was good. “I want it to last this time,” she said, blushing at her boldness.
He put his fork down and met her eyes. “Whatever it takes. Just tell me.”
She nodded, sipped her coffee, and decided to change the subject. “So how’s business coming along?”
Luke put his fork down on the plate. “I’ve been meaning to tell you. Kelly, the reporter from Island Times, is doing a big write-up on my new ownership. Do you know the magazine, Island Vineyards?”
“I’ve seen it around town,” she said.
“They’re widely read and they contacted me for an interview. It will be great publicity.”
Kyla was happy for him but still uneasy. “My little island escape won’t be staying private much longer, I fear.”
Luke paled. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Let’s just hope the tabloids don’t get wind of the long-lost model found at last.”
“I guess if I found you, others will, too,” Luke said. “Sorry for being so thoughtless.”
Kyla stroked his smooth cheek, letting her fingers linger. “It’s not your fault or your problem.”
He attempted a smile. “I don’t want it to be yours either.”
Kyla pushed her fork around her plate. The tabloids could make her life hell. She enjoyed her anonymity here, her privacy, and wanted her fans to remember her as she’d been. In the past, she’d done everything she could to avoid exposure, but it no longer seemed that important.
Kyla forced a smile. “Perhaps it is time to show my face to the world again.”
“And a very beautiful face it is,” Luke said. “If you’re ready, I’ll do all I can to help.”
Over the last couple of years, Kyla had thought often of calling her booking agent, Arlene. She felt terrible that she hadn’t at least told her the truth. Arlene still deposited her commissions in the account they agreed on and asked no questions. But they’d been very close and Kyla knew she’d hurt Arlene’s feelings.
“I think I’ll call Arlene. It’s time.”
Luke leaned across the table and kissed her on the cheek. “Brave girl.”
It was about time courage took the lead in her life and cowardice fell to the wayside.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Luke looked out the misty window of the tasting room at the dormant vineyard stretching across the hill. Grey clouds hung low over the vines and barren pasture. Yet he was happier than he’d ever been. Orders kept pouring in for the holiday blend all month. The Saturday afternoon wine tastings and small plates with Chef Ryan had also been successful. The biggest hit of all was the new chocolate loganberry truffles he had commissioned Michaelene, the local pastry chef, to create. She used the liqueur from the island distillery down the road, and a pinch of lavender from Kyla’s harvest added magic.
The loganberry liqueur was made in small batches by distilling brandy into local wines, including Luke’s blends. The juice was aged with skins of locally grown loganberries, Luke’s favorite. The liqueur had won medals for its garnet color and exotic aromas, and when mixed with the finest dark chocolate, it was pure bliss in the truffles.
Kyla never left his thoughts. He’d fallen more in love with her every day. Luke had thought long and hard about the type of engagement ring he wanted to buy for her. He had returned the last one, with its seven-carat brilliance, a few years ago. That was not what he wanted this time around. This ring would not be about impressing her, but something meaningful instead. Luke had called his jeweler friend in Sonoma County and told him a bit about Kyla’s heritage and taste. He had suggested a Celtic claddagh ring in exquisite rose gold with a marquis center diamond and two small emeralds embedded on the sides. It sounded perfect, and the custom-made ring would be delivered tomorrow. A day before the parade and two days before Christmas. Just in time. Luke thought of his mother and how she’d always wanted to see him happily married. Instead of an obligatory holiday call, he decided to call her and share all his good news.
The phone rang at the family home and Luke silently hoped his father would not answer. The housekeeper answered on the fourth ring. “Bradford residence.”
“Merry Christmas, Rose. It’s Lucas. Is my mother there?”
“Merry Christmas, Lucas. Will you be coming home for the holidays?” she asked. Luke could hear the hope in her voice. She’d been with the family since Luke was a little boy.
“You never know,” he said.
“I’ll go get your mother. She’ll be so happy to hear from you.”
It felt good to do something to make his mother happy. Luke had walked out on the family and hardly called during the last year. It wasn’t fair to his mother, but Luke could not take one more minute of his father’s controlling and dismissive attitude. He’d almost laughed when Luke had told him he was going to marry the model Darcy Devereux back then. Wait until he heard Kyla was a shop owner now. Luke couldn’t care less. He’d probably never please his father and still please himself too. And the last two years had taught him the importance of living your own life and following your own passion.
