“Extra.” Charlotte barely suppressed her amusement, her voice breathless. She eyed the gift like it might start shimmying all on its own before she cracked up again.
“You are a bad girl,” Kagan said, trying not to think about how long it had been since she’d spent any time with the real thing. Her thoughts floated to Shane Sullivan. He’d starred in several of her fantasies over the past few months.
Okay, he’d been the lead in all of them, with his square jaw, dazzling blue-gray eyes, and dark, neat hair that she really wanted to mess with her fingers. Not to mention he had a rock hard body that put all other bodies to shame. But she had no plans to act on the urges he stirred. For one, he held the title of first-rate flirt and town Casanova, and every single girl in a twenty-mile radius had set her sights on him. And two, she’d come to Cascade to be invisible until she worked out who she really wanted to be. She couldn’t even think about being with someone until she figured herself out.
Her skin heated. Even thinking about grazing Shane’s arm did unsettling things to her insides. They were acquaintances. Maybe even friends. But nothing more would come from their association.
“On a regular basis,” Charlotte said, tossing her long, wavy black hair over her shoulder. “And since you’ve decided to steer clear of men, I needed to corrupt you somehow.”
“I can always count on you.”
“For everything.” Charlotte’s features softened and she looked carefully at Kagan. “You know that, right?”
That silly emotion swiped at the back of her throat again. “I know. Thanks for sticking around even when I haven’t made it easy.” Being close to people had never come naturally. Growing up the daughter of a famous actor turned business magnate, her mom had kept her sheltered and taught Kagan to keep her guard up.
“We pinky swore when we were ten that we’d be best friends forever, and I take my promises very seriously.”
Kagan did too. And she’d promised herself a new life.
After her mother died, she’d done exactly as her father wanted. Since she’d been fifteen she’d let him dictate everything in her life because it was easier than confrontation. She’d handled the loss of her mother with silent suffering and a need to please the parent she had left. Her father handled losing his wife by controlling everything around him.
“You are hands down the world’s best friend, and I love you.” She put her present back in the box and wrapped Charlotte in a hug. “This has been the best birthday in a long time.”
Charlotte stood. “It’s not over yet. Let’s cut into this cake.” She took all the candles off, picked up the knife on the table, and sliced the small round confection right down the middle. “To many more happy birthdays.” She passed Kagan one half and dug into her piece like they hadn’t just gorged themselves on shrimp gumbo take-out.
The sweet, sugary goodness blew all other cakes out of the water and Kagan sighed in pleasure. “I should have gotten a job at Crem’s instead of the Crown & Anchor. What was I thinking working in a bar instead of a bakery?”
“You were thinking about which would upset your dad more.” Charlotte pointed her fork at Kagan.
“You’re right. He’d have a fit if he found out I was working as a waitress in a bar, wouldn’t he?”
“I’m not sure if ‘fit’ is the right word.”
They shared a conspiratorial grin before laughing. Kagan hated to admit that knowing her father would look down on her job and new surroundings made them both more satisfying.
Besides, she liked being a waitress. She liked the regulars who came in and treated her like everybody else. She liked giving Milt, her crotchety old boss, a hard time. And she loved having less pressure. She showed up, did her job, and left. Usually with a few dozen thanks.
Appreciation felt damn good. As one of the directors of marketing for her father’s multi-million-dollar corporation, she’d been expected to put in as many hours as necessary to increase visibility on a weekly basis and promote dozens of endeavors without so much as a nod in gratitude.
Flirting with guys who had no idea she was Fred Donaldson’s daughter felt good too. Not that she had any plans to go beyond friendly words. They may not know about her money or social status, but starting a relationship was the last thing on her mind.
Shane’s killer smile flashed in her mind. The first time they’d met he’d written his phone number on the palm of her hand. She hadn’t washed it off for three days trying to decide whether to jot it down on a piece of paper or forget that he made her legs weak.