"Nah, I'm part of the reason we ran out. I've already had my ration of cinnamon rolls. I gotta tell you, I'm going to hate life when I stop breastfeeding. Right now, I can consume as many calories as I like without gaining a single pound." Karen grinned. "Now sit down and take a load off, I happen to know that Josie keeps a special stash of cinnamon rolls for you and me." Karen grabbed Kara's arm, hauling her over to an open booth in an isolated corner. She called Walter over to bring out drinks for Kara and herself.
"Are you sure about the cinnamon rolls? Josie really has a stash, and I don't need to get over there now?" Kara asked, anxiously.
"Kara, are you all right? You're acting pretty twitchy. I mean I haven't seen you on this much of a food binge since last year." Karen stopped talking as Walter set down all the drinks. He placed two glasses of milk in front of Karen.
"Dale said you needed to drink both glasses, little mama." Karen rolled her eyes, while Kara gave a tired smile.
"You're one to talk about being on a food binge. I've seen how much you eat," Kara said defensively. Karen put her glass of milk down and grabbed her friend's hand.
"Honey, you know I need the extra calories while I'm breastfeeding. Seriously, what's going on? You're eating like there's no tomorrow, and now you're on the attack. What's the deal? Is it ‘those who shall not be named' again?" Walter brought over Kara's lumberjack breakfast, which took up two platters. She immediately started eating so she could avoid Karen's question.
"I think I am a little on edge. It's the show, and … "
"And?" Karen softly prompted.
"I'm bringing Jim as my date," Kara admitted.
"Wow, that's big," Karen breathed. Kara watched as Karen comprehended how big of deal it would be for Jim to meet all Kara's friends and family at her gallery exhibition. Kara would only bring a man that she was seriously interested in to this important occasion. "I didn't know he was that special to you."
"He's a good guy, Karen. I could do a lot worse." Kara kept her eyes down, focusing on her food. There was a long silence at the table as Karen watched her finish her meal. When Kara finally looked up, there was compassion in her friend's eyes.
"So, Karen, you really think Josie has cinnamon rolls stashed away?" Kara asked, yet again. Karen reached across and gave Kara a hug.
"For you, I know she does. I love you, honey. You feel free to call me anytime you need someone to listen. I can't wait for the show! Dale, Jace, and I will be there. You're going to knock them dead!"
Kara put a move on as she headed to the bakery. She hoped Karen was right, that, even if Josie was sold out of cinnamon rolls, she had a stash tucked away for her and Karen. She needed a cinnamon roll. She knew she was using food as a crutch, but she didn't care at the moment. She thought about her conversation with Karen. It was great having such a good friend, but it kind of sucked having a friend who was close enough to see through your bullshit and know your truth. Kara didn't even want to know her own truth, much less for somebody else to call her on it.
She was so focused on making her way to the bakery that she didn't hear her name being called. Finally, a hand clapped on her shoulder, and she spun around to confront whoever was accosting her. She kept looking up and up, until she finally reached eyes identical to her own, realizing only one of her brothers would be gutsy enough to grab her from behind.
"Eric, I'm in a hurry. What do you want?" she snapped.
"Can't a guy just say hello to his sister?" he asked with a hurt expression.
She turned and continued making her way down the block, and he fell into step with her. "Walk and talk, Eric. Walk and talk."
"Where are we going?" he asked. "And why are we going there in such a rush?"
"The bakery. Hart's ran out of cinnamon rolls, and I'm hoping the bakery still has some," Kara explained.
"Dream on, my sister. It's almost noon on Saturday. You know they're sold out." Kara glanced sideways at her brother and was satisfied that he was giving her a sympathetic look. Otherwise, she'd have to hit him.
"I. Want. A. Cinnamon. Roll."
"You could learn to bake," he offered helpfully. This time she did hit him.
"Damn, Kara! That hurt!" She looked over at her six-foot-five, two-hundred-and-sixty-pound, fire-chief brother, and felt satisfaction roll through her. It probably had hurt … a little.
As they made it to the door of the bakery, he grabbed the handle before she could and opened it for her, waving her in first. Inside the pretty green-and-blue bakery, there were five people in line before her. Some of her decorative plates hung on the walls and were offered for sale. She had made sure to supply pieces that would match the interior of the bakery. She saw that Josie was working the front and seemed to be having a lot of fun. It was nice to see. Kara could remember a time when Josie had worked far too many hours, but now that Sweet Dreams Bakery was properly staffed and had built such a healthy business, Josie enjoyed a more balanced work and home life.
"Hi, Eric. Hi, Kara. It's good to see you both together. Where are Dane and Leif?" Josie asked, referring to the other two Johansen siblings.
"I don't know, and I don't care," Kara answered. "I want to know if you have any cinnamon rolls hidden in back, because I don't see any in your display case," she said abruptly.
Josie's brown eyes twinkled. "Kara, only because you asked so nicely will I go back to see if I have any in my emergency reserve." Kara winced as she heard Josie's warm laughter wafting back to her as she made her way to the kitchen.
"What the hell was that, sis? I can't remember the last time you were such a bitch to somebody who clearly didn't deserve it. Are you all right?" Eric asked, concern etched in his features.
Josie came back holding up a small, pink box. "Here you go. Give me a call tonight, okay? I want to hear how your date went with Jim last night, and we can talk about next Saturday's exhibit. Is Jim still escorting you?" Josie asked.
Kara hunched her shoulders, trying to smile at her friend, but she was beginning to feel a little hounded. "How much do I owe you?"
"They're on the house. I always keep some in the back for you and Karen, just in case," Josie said with a grin. Kara was touched. She was so lucky to have such great friends.
"I'll call you tonight and give you the lowdown on Jim. Thanks for the rolls, you're a lifesaver. When do I get to babysit Lissa again?" she asked, referring to Josie's three-month-old baby girl.
"You name the day you're available, and I'll find a reason for us to be gone." Josie giggled. Then she turned to Eric. "What can I get you, Eric?"
"Do you have some peanut butter brownies I can take to the guys at the firehouse?" he asked. Josie packed him up a box, and then Eric walked with Kara back to her Bronco.
"So, who's Jim? You two must be pretty serious, if he's escorting you to your exhibit next Saturday." Eric slipped his hand into the side of the box, retrieving a brownie as he eyed his sister.
"Yeah, he's a nice guy. We've been dating for over a month. I figured I'd introduce him to everyone next week."
"You sleeping with him?" With his first bite, Eric wolfed down half the treat. Kara stared at him incredulously, and it wasn't because of his eating habits.
"That's really none of your business."
"So you haven't had sex with him," he confirmed. "Why not, if it's been over a month?"
"Eric, I'm not having this conversation with you," she said in a heated voice.
"Look, Ben and Quinn-" he started.
"Stop! Just stop right there. I'm with Jim now. He's here. He lives here. He's the man who's interested in me. I don't want to talk about what might have been, or what could be. I want to talk about what is. What is, is Jim. He's a really nice man, whom you will meet on Saturday." She grabbed the other half of the brownie from her brother's hand, popped it into her mouth, and opened the door to her car, leaving him with his mouth open.
* * * *
By the time she got home that afternoon, she was excited to see that the glass was ready to be poured into the molds. It was her first time to use the molds and the new glass mixture and she felt as giddy as a kid going to her first carnival. She carefully donned all of her protective gear. It was fine to be excited, but there was no reason to be stupid enough to end up in the hospital with burns. Been there, done that, she thought ruefully. She picked up the crucible from the kiln with specially made tongs and carefully poured the hot liquid into the plaster mold.
After she was done, she was sweating and trembling from the weight of the crucible, the heat of the molten glass, and having to handle all of it with a pair of tongs. This was the reason she had such good upper body strength, and she always liked to wear sleeveless dresses to show off her well-defined upper arms. But right now, said arms felt like overcooked spaghetti. When she was finally finished and everything was safely put away in the studio, it was almost 8:00 p.m. She still owed Josie a phone call, which she figured she could do from the bathtub.