Page 54 of Theirs to Treasure

“I want to wait for Betty and Butch.” He put his hand on her arm to stop her, and she immediately winced. “Damn it, Zee, I’m so sorry. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. It’s just a bruise.”

His face darkened. Was this how the day would go? But then relief flooded her when Betty came up and gave them both a hug, diffusing the situation. Really, she didn’t need Chance obsessing about her arm in front of Betty. This was supposed to be a play day!

Josie resisted buying things at the next three stalls, but when she got to the fourth stall, she was flabbergasted at the beauty of the handblown glass pieces. What really caught her eye were the decorative glass plates—a perfect accent to her baked goods. The woman who ran the booth knew the Hutchins, so as they talked, Josie carefully checked the prices, shocked to see that they ranged from two hundred to five hundred dollars.

Chance came over and whispered in her ear. “Kara sells her stuff in galleries in Seattle. She actually lowers her prices for us here in Fate Harbor.” The colors took her breath away. She held one plate up to the sun and watched as the sun’s rays passed through the glass. No wonder the woman’s work was being shown in galleries.

“I think this is exactly what you were looking for. Can’t you see people using these to take home your pastries, and then displaying them on their shelves or walls?” Chance nudged her to go talk to Kara.

Josie shook her head. “Are you out of your mind?” she whispered fiercely. “They’re like jewelry or something, not cupcake dishes.”

“Did someone say cupcake? That’s one of my favorite words.” The tall, blond Nordic goddess looked over from chatting with Betty and Butch.

“Kara, I’m surprised you haven’t met Josie, she bought the Matushka’s old bakery. Josie Decker, this is Eric and Dane’s sister, Kara Johansen.”

“So, you know my brothers, do you?” Wickedness glinted in Kara’s eyes. “I bet they weren’t just after your baked goods.”

Chance put a proprietary arm around Josie’s shoulder and said, “You’d be right, Kara. But Sam and I cleared that up pretty quickly.”

“You and Sam. Interesting. Betty, I didn’t know you’d gotten your boys to embrace so many of Fate Harbor’s traditions. Wait until I tell Mom and my dads.” Kara walked over, took Josie out of Chance’s arm, and gave her a big hug.

“Kara, be careful of her arm,” Chance warned.

“What’s wrong with her arm?” Betty asked.

“I bumped it and bruised it,” Josie said.

“Sam grabbed her and bruised her,” Chance corrected. “He had a nightmare this morning, and if we hadn’t woken him, I don’t know what would have happened.”

“Oh, Josie, don’t ever lie about something like that,” Betty admonished. “Sam would tell us himself if he were here.” Betty pulled Josie’s arm toward her, and carefully rolled up her sweatshirt sleeve.

She gasped when she saw the bruise in the shape of her foster son’s fingers. “Butch, go get some ice. It’s time she had another pack put on. You have been icing it, right?” She looked up at Chance.

“Of course, I have,” he said in an offended voice.

“Good boy. Now where’s Sam? Why isn’t he here?”

“He left. In the middle of the night. God knows what time tonight he’ll be home.” Once again Josie felt her chin quiver.

“Oh, Baby, he’ll be back. He just needs to pull himself together. He must feel terrible. Give him time.” Betty took the ice pack from Butch and settled Josie into the chair that Kara indicated in the back of the booth and put the pack on her arm.

“So, I take it Sam is still dealing with some PTSD issues. I remember when Leif came back from Iraq, Mom and the dads had to damn near hit him over the head before they could convince him to get in and see someone.” Kara walked away to talk to a customer who’d wandered into the booth. Meanwhile, it amazed Josie how easily everyone dealt with Sam’s issues, even someone she considered a stranger. She looked over at Chance and he winked at her.

After Kara wrapped up a vase and two dishes, and sent the happy couple on their way, she came back to talk to them.

“Kara, have you been into the bakery since Josie has taken over?” Betty asked.

“Have I been? Are you kidding? I’ve gained seven pounds because of that damn Sweet Dreams Desserts!” Josie did a double-take and recognized that she was used to seeing Kara show up to the bakery in a ponytail and coveralls.

“Yeah, I clean up pretty good, don’t I?” Kara gestured down to her flowing spring dress, her shoulder-length blond hair, and makeup. “You usually see me when I’m in the middle of blowing glass and need a sugar fix. I have seriously gained seven pounds, three of which are because of your mind-blowing cinnamon rolls, girlfriend, and the other four are from your cookies and brownies.” Josie flushed because she didn’t doubt it. The woman had bought quite a lot of her product.

“But at least on you, it looks good. I could lose twenty and still need to go on a diet,” Josie declared.

Chance bent down and brushed a kiss against her temple. “Hey, I thought we were past that nonsense,” he whispered. “Sam’s going to be back, do you want me to tattle?”

How did he know how to make her feel both secure in the fact that Sam was going to come back and all hot and bothered at the same time? The man was positively Machiavellian, and now she wasn’t feeling one bit self-conscious about her weight.