Page 46 of Frosted Fakes

Chapter Fifteen

The bell above the door chimed, and Elliott knew before she even looked up that it would be Gabby Richardson. The woman had a particular way of entering a room that announced her presence like a fanfare, all sweeping coat and jangling bracelets and the faint scent of expensive perfume. She was also making a habit of checking in on her investment every couple of days.

"Julia, darling!" Gabby's voice carried through the bakery. "I was in the neighborhood."

She was always in the neighborhood. Elliot was beginning to wonder if the woman actually worked, or if her TV shows were all AI.

Elliott set down her piping bag and counted to five. She'd been in the middle of decorating a batch of éclairs, and her hands were steady, her focus absolute. Now that focus was about to be shattered by the world's most inconvenient mother-in-law. Fake mother-in-law. Whatever.

She emerged from the kitchen doorway just as Gabby was surveying the shop with her normal critical eye.

"The display looks better," Gabby announced. "More professional. Though those croissants could use more color. A proper croissant should be golden, not blonde."

"They're perfect," Elliott said flatly.

Gabby's head swiveled toward her. "Ah. The girlfriend."

"That's me." Elliott forced herself to cross the shop floor toward Julia, who was standing behind the counter looking like she wanted the ground to swallow her whole. Right. They were supposed to be a couple. Deeply in love. Comfortable with each other. Shame that they couldn’t hold down a conversation for more than three words.

But her housing, and potentially her cookbook, depended on this. So she slid an arm around Julia's waist. Julia went rigid.

Brilliant. Very natural. Very romantic.

"How are you, Mrs. Richardson?" Elliott's voice came out stiffer than she'd intended.

"Gabby, please." Though her tone suggested Elliott should absolutely not call her Gabby. "And I'm wonderful. The filming is going splendidly. We're doing a segment on local producers next week." Her eyes drifted toward the window. "Is that the restaurant next door? I keep meaning to pop in and say hello to Jamie."

Of course she did.

The door chimed again, and there was Jamie himself, as if summoned by the mere mention of his name. He was carrying a container and wearing a smile that suggested he knew exactly what he was walking into. He dropped a wink in Julia’s direction. Huh. She sure had him charmed. Mind you, Jamie was a teddy bear, and he loved a damsel in distress.

"Gabby!" He set down the container with a flourish. "I thought I saw you through the window. Brought you some of my new parsnip crackers. I'd love your professional opinion."

Gabby practically glowed. "How thoughtful." She gave him a leonine smile and, to give him his due, Jamie’s hand only shook slightly.

Elliott watched Jamie work his formidable charm and felt a reluctant admiration. The man was leading Gabby away from Julia like a sheepdog with a particularly troublesome ewe. Except Julia wasn't breathing. Not really.

She’d had been so focused on her own irritation that she hadn't noticed how small Julia had become. The woman who chattered endlessly about nothing, who smiled at every customer and remembered their children's names, who filled every silence with nervous energy, that woman had disappeared. In her place stood someone hunched and apologetic, shoulders curved inward, voice barely above a murmur.

"The pastry cases need restocking," Julia said quietly. "I should probably…"

"They're fine." Elliott tightened her grip on Julia's waist. "Stay."

Julia looked at her with something like surprise.

Elliott wouldn’t have this. She wouldn’t let this… this harridan make Julia want to take up less space in the world. It wasn’t fair and it wasn’t right. She pulled Julia closer, properly close, until Julia's hip was pressed against hers. Julia made a small sound of surprise.

"Relax," Elliott murmured against her ear. "You're supposed to like me, remember?"

"I do like you," Julia whispered back. "When you're not being horrible."

"I'm never horrible. I'm honest. There's a difference."

But she found herself softening anyway, some of the ice in her chest thawing. Julia was warm against her side. Soft. She smelled like croissants and chocolate icing, and it was all very distracting and thoroughly unhelpful.

Gabby glanced over from her conversation with Jamie, and Elliott smiled. Actually smiled, not just the grimace she'd been managing for the past few days. She pressed a kiss to Julia's cheek, quick and light.

Julia's breath caught.