Return of the Last McKenna

Despite the tears, Kate smiled. Her brother had been a wild child, from the second he was born. He approached life head on—and never looked back. “And the time he skydived for the first time. Oh, and that crazy swim with the sharks trip he took.” Kate shook her head. “He lived on the edge.”

“While the rest of us stayed close to terra firma.” Nora smiled. “But in the end, he always came back home.”

“His heart was here.”

“It was indeed,” Nora said. “And he would want you to be happy, to celebrate your life, not bury it in work.”

Before he left for Afghanistan, Andrew had tried to talk to her about the future. When he’d started on the what-ifs, she’d refused to listen, afraid of what might happen. Now, she regretted that choice. Maybe if she’d heard him out, she might have the secret to his risk taking. Something to urge her down the path they had planned for so long.

Andrew had soared the skies for the rest of them while the other Spencers offered caution, wisdom. She missed that about him, but knew she should also learn from him. Remember that life was short and to live every moment with gusto. Even if doing so seemed impossible some days. Kate swiped away the tears. “I’ll try to remember that.”

“Good.” Nora patted her granddaughter on the shoulder. Then her gaze shifted to the picture window at the front of the shop. She nodded toward the door. “Ooh. Handsome man alert. Did you put on your lipstick?”

Kate laughed. Leave it to Nora to be sure her granddaughter was primped and ready should Mr. Right stride on by. Her grandmother lived in perpetual hope for great grandchildren that she could spoil ten times more than she’d spoiled her grandchildren. “Grandma, I’m not interested in dating right now.”

“I think this guy will change your mind about that. Take a look.”

The door opened and Brody McKenna strode inside. Kate’s heart tripped a little. The doctor’s piercing blue eyes zeroed in on hers, and the world dropped away.

She cleared her throat. “Back for another basket, Doctor?”

Way to go, Kate, establish it as a business only relationship. In the end, the best choice. Hadn’t she watched her parents’ marriage, started on a whim, with major differences in goals and values, disintegrate? She wanted a steady, dependable base, not a man who made her heart race and erased her common sense, regardless of the way Brody’s lopsided smile and ocean blue eyes flipped a switch inside her.

“I just came by to thank you,” he said. “The basket was a big hit. My grandmother sends her regards and her gratitude for the cherry chocolates. Especially those. In fact, I’m under strict orders to buy some more.”

“Those are my favorites, too,” Nora said. She leaned over the counter and put out a hand. “I’m Nora Spencer.”

He smiled. “Ah, the famous Nora in Nora’s Sweet Shop.” He shook hands with her, and Kate swore she saw her eighty-three-year-old grandma blush. “Brody McKenna.”

Nora arched a brow. “You’re a doctor, you said?”

Kate wanted to elbow her grandmother but Nora had already stepped out of reach. Under the counter, she waved her hand, but Grandma ignored the hint.

“Yes, ma’am,” Brody said. “I own a family practice right down the street from here. I took over for Doc Watkins.”

“Oh, I remember him,” Nora said. “Nice guy. Except for when he was losing at golf. Then he was grumpy. Every Wednesday, he played, so I learned never to make an appointment for first thing Thursday morning.”

Brody chuckled. “Yep, you have him down to a tee.”

Kate and her grandmother laughed at the pun. Then Nora tapped her chin, and studied Brody. “Wait…McKenna. Aren’t you that doctor that volunteers all the time? Or something like that? I read about a charity your family heads up. Doctors and Borders or something like that.”

“Medicine Across Borders.” He shifted from foot to foot. “Yes, I’m involved in that. We travel the country and the world, providing volunteer medical help to people in need.”

The name of the organization sounded familiar to Kate, but she figured maybe because she’d seen something in the news about it. Brody McKenna, however, seemed unnerved by talking about the group. His gaze darted to the right, and his posture tensed. Maybe he was one of those men who didn’t like his charity work to be a big deal. A behind the scenes kind of guy.

Nora leaned in closer to him. “So tell me, Doctor McKenna, is there a Mrs. Doctor?”

“Grandma,” Kate hissed. “Stop that.” Still, Kate checked his left hand. No ring. The doctor was a single man. And she didn’t care. At all.

Uh-huh.

“No, ma’am, there isn’t a Mrs. Doctor,” Brody said. “But I am here about a wedding that’s in the near future.”

Disappointment filled Kate. She told herself to quit those thoughts. She’d seen the man once for a few minutes and she didn’t care if he married her next door neighbor or the Queen of England. For goodness sake, she’d turned into an emotional wreck today. And it was only Tuesday.

“I’d be glad to help you with that,” she said, pulling out an order pad and a pen. “What do you need?”

“It’s not for me. It’s for my brother.”

“Wonderful,” Nora said. “In that case, we’re even more glad to help you.”

“Grandma, stop,” Kate hissed again.

“It is nice to find such helpful and beautiful service in this city,” Brody said with a smile.

Nora elbowed Kate. A little thrill ran through her at his words. Why did she care?

Darn those eyes of his.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Brody said. “I’m as far from getting married as a man can be. This is for my little brother, Riley. He’s getting married next Saturday and it’s a small, private affair, but I thought it would be nice to provide the dessert so his new bride doesn’t have to cook it. She owns a diner in the city. Maybe you’ve heard of it. The Morning Glory.”

“I’ve seen it before when I’ve been in the city,” Kate said, stepping in with a change of subject before her grandmother found a way to turn a diner, a brother’s wedding and a cupcake order into an opportunity for matchmaking. After all, hadn’t Brody just said he had no interest in marriage? That screamed stay away, commitment-phobic bachelor. “Didn’t the diner host an animal shelter thing a month ago?”

“It did. Went well. The diner’s main chef is on a trip to Europe and they’ve got a new one filling in, but I think doing the dessert and the food might be a bit overwhelming for him. Plus it’s a nice way for me to show my support for my brother and his new wife. As well as give some business to a local shop.”

It all sounded plausible, but still, something about the story Brody told gave Kate pause. She couldn’t put her finger on it. Why come here? To this shop? There were a hundred bakeries in the area, several dedicated to weddings. Why her shop?

She decided to stop looking a gift horse in the mouth. She needed the income, and she’d be crazy to turn down the opportunity to get Nora’s Sweet Shop name out there. Especially if she sthe tuck to the plan about expanding, every public event was an opportunity to spread the word, ease into new markets.

“You’ve come to the right place,” Nora said, as if reading Kate’s mind. “We’ve done lots of weddings.”

“Yeah, I saw that cupcake thing you had in the window. My brother and his fiancé thought it’d be a great idea because they’re having their wedding and reception at the diner. It’s going to be more low-key than your traditional big cake and band kind of thing. They aren’t your typical couple, either, and loved the idea of an atypical cake.”

Kate thought a second while she tapped her pen on the order pad. “We could do a whole morning glory theme. Put faux flowers on top of the cupcakes and arrange them like a bouquet.”

Brody nodded. “I like that. Great idea. And I know Stace—that’s the bride—will love it, too. The diner is important to her.”

The praise washed over Kate. She’d had dozens of customers rave about the shop’s unique sweets. Why did this one man’s—a stranger’s—words affect her so? “How many people are we serving?”

“Uh, about fifty. I think that’s what my brother said.”

“Sounds great.” She jotted some notes on the order pad, adding the details about the cupcakes, his name and the date of the event. Considering the number of orders already stacked up in her kitchen, adding his one into the mix would take some doing. Thank God she had her assistant Joanne to help. Joanne had the experience of ten bakers and had been with the shop for so many years, neither Kate or Nora could remember when she’d started.

“And what about a phone number?” Nora piped in. Kate shot her grandmother a glare, but Nora just smiled. “In case we need to get a hold of you.”

Brody rattled off a number. “That’s my office, which is where I usually am most days. Do you want my cell, too?”

“No,” Kate said.