Always Room for Cupcakes (Cupcakes 1)

“You good?” Cade asked, proving once again that he could read me like a book.

“Do you think, maybe, we’re going a little too fast?” I asked, lifting my mug of coffee to my lips, just to have something to do with my hands.

“Darlin’,” he began, and I flinched. “I’m thirty-eight years old. I’ve never been in a relationship with a woman. Shit, I’ve never cared enough about a woman to even take her out on a date, until you. Now, I figure, I’ve waited a long time and I know what I want. What I want is you … so, no, I don’t think it’s going too fast. I think it’s taking too damn long. I know where I’m at, I’m just waiting for you to catch up.”

I was still trying to let that penetrate when he continued.

“And, Lila, there’s times when a word’s just a word, and other times when it comes from the heart. Sometimes I call people darlin’ to charm them, or to get what I want, but when I say it to you, it’s from the heart. You asked me to stop, but I can’t promise that I will, because that’s who you are… My darlin’.”

My eyes widened and I gulped audibly, putting the cup down with shaky hands as I tried to wrap my head around everything he’d just laid out for me.

Holy shit, things were moving even faster than I thought.

“Look, I gotta go let Rufus out, then get some shit done, so I’ll give you some time to think things through. You know how to get ahold of me when you’re ready.”

“Okay,” I said again, thinking I really needed to learn to expand my vocabulary when I was around this guy.

Cade stood and dropped a kiss on my forehead before taking his dishes to the sink, grabbing his things, and leaving my apartment. Through it all, I sat at my table, my hands still wrapped around my mug as I tried to process everything that had happened since Cade rode into my life.

The rest of the weekend went by quickly.

I spent some much-needed snuggle time with my kiddos, laying around watching superhero flicks and eating lots of junk food. And, happily, the awkwardness between Elin and me was gone. We’d moved on from the incident and were back in our comfortable mommy/son place

.

I’d sent the photos to Moose, and gave him the message from Cade, and had blissfully heard nothing from him for three days. After the way he’d been acting lately, I was beginning to wonder whether working for him was such a good idea. I didn’t need anyone yelling at me, certainly not some crabby-ass shut-in, who used me to do all of his dirty work.

Then, Thursday morning, I’d received another text telling me that Hector and the cokehead were unloading merchandise and storing it at the storage place downtown, and that the last thing he needed from me were pictures of the drugs. Then the client would have all the evidence he needed to shut Hector’s operation down.

Eager to be done with Hector, the Coke Club, the client, and Moose, I shot him a text back saying I’d get the photos, and that we needed to talk.

That’s why I was currently skulking around dusty old storage units, rather than helping Amy May at the bakery.

“I’m so done with this shit,” I muttered as I stepped in a puddle. Of course, it had to be raining on the day I’d busted out my cute new ankle boots, which were now covered in mud.

I looked around the corner to the row where Moose told me they’d be, and saw Hector’s Camaro with the trunk open and no one around. Figuring they were inside the unit, and hoping there were still drugs in the trunk so I could get the picture and get the hell out of there, I ran from my hiding spot to the car, camera at the ready.

When I rounded the car and looked down, I was relieved to see there were piles of drugs still in the car. Large plastic bags full of pills, white substances and an off-white powder.

I quickly took a bunch of pictures, and was getting ready to rush back the way I’d come, when a voice behind me said, “You just keep showing up.”

I turned to see Hector standing precariously close, and was about to run when he grabbed my arm. Squeezing tightly, he shook me and asked, “Who the fuck are you? Who are you working for?”

My mind raced as I kept my arm with my camera behind my back and tried to wrestle my arm from his grip. It was no use; I could feel his fingers bruising my arm, his grip was so tight.

Instinctually, I took a step toward him, closing the distance as I brought my knee up hard and connected it with his junk.

“Fucking bitch!” he yelled as he bent to cradle himself, his fingers loosening enough for me to break free.

I didn’t look to see how he was or if anyone was chasing me. I ran flat out, as if the hounds of hell were at my feet. Jumping in my car and starting it before my door had even shut behind me, I took off, fishtailing out of the storage lot and speeding down the street, grateful that no one was behind me, but not willing to relax yet.

I drove straight to the police station and parked in their lot, figuring it was the safest place I could be, then shot a text to Cade, telling him everything that had just happened.

Next, I sent basically the same message to Moose, except I added that he was going to need to pay me extra due to the terror I’d just faced, and that I wasn’t sending him the pictures until he sent the money.

Finally, I texted Amy May and Bea, telling them that I needed a Ladies’ Night, STAT.

My phone started pinging as replies came in: