Marina was still fuming about it twenty-four hours later. She just could not believe that he had actually said it. She rolled her eyes as she ran the brush through her wavy brown hair. Why couldn’t she believe it? Her father was always saying hurtful things to her. To all four of them. And Marina sometimes believed that he did it on purpose. To what end, she wasn’t sure, but in her mind, he actually enjoyed knocking the wind out of his children’s sails – taking them down a peg instead of building them up. Their mother, Julia, was always insisting that Mike Kelly simply had no filter. He said what was on his mind at the moment, and he was always brutally honest. Tact was never something he concerned himself with. He didn’t mean anything by it; that’s just the way he was.
Marina believed all of that was bullshit. The man was an adult. He could learn how not to hurt other people’s feelings like everybody else. The thing was, most other people thought Michael Kelly was one hell of a guy. Highly decorated cop on the job for over 35 years. Greatly respected by his fellow police officers and the community he served. Hell, ordinary citizens and criminal dirtbags alike all loved and respected him. Most of them knew him by name. He was a real, true blue, local celebrity – or was the word “hero”? Whatever it was, Marina was sick of that false narrative.
The truth of the matter was that the great Mike Kelly wasn’t nearly as great as most people thought. He may have been one of the best cops to ever walk the earth - at least to hear his fan club tell it - but in his home life, he was the biggest son of a bitch in the world.
Okay, maybe she was exaggerating a tiny bit, but only a teeny tiny bit. Her dad was one of those people who made loving them no easy task. And sometimes Marina felt like he purposely went out of his way to keep his kids off kilter, and to keep them at arm’s length. When they were growing up, Mike Kelly had ruled their home with an iron fist. Not that he was ever physically abusive or anything, but he sure as hell ran a strict ship, always keeping her and her brothers and her sister on four very short leashes. Especially her and her sister, Frankie. Talk about a double standard. She and Frankie got treated like nuns in a convent until they were both 18 years old, while Storm and Ethan got to go to parties and out on dates at the age of 16. But they were “men” so it was different, according to their father. Still, even with all the testosterone-fueled bonding that should have been taking place, all four of Mike Kelly’s kids found it difficult to live up to his impossible standards, even in adulthood. That’s why she still couldn’t believe that all of them had made the decision to follow in the man’s footsteps and become cops themselves.
As Marina dressed for the day, pulling on a comfortable pair of skinny jeans and a plain white tank top, she couldn’t help but wonder, as she did so often, what in the world had possessed them. Storm, Ethan and Frankie had all joined the Eastwood Police force! The family business, literally. Her Granddad. Her Uncle Mitch, and each of his five sons. All cops. She shook her head as she thought about it. All her life, all Marina ever wanted was to get away from the whole cop environment. She wanted nothing to do with it. It was like their whole family ate, slept, and breathed police work. She was surprised they didn’t shit blue turds! Although, she had never actually investigated that possibility, so who could say for sure?
But she had made up her mind as a teenager that she would not be going down that path. She was going to get as far away from law enforcement as she could get. And once that decision was made, Marina felt freer than she ever had in her life. She may have still been under her parent’s roof at the time, but she knew that wouldn’t always be the case. So, she chose an activity that she truly enjoyed and then pursued it with abandon.
Julia Kelly had been delighted that her youngest daughter had taken such an interest in cooking, and she eagerly taught her daughter everything she knew. And when Marina had begun to show some real talent for baking, her imagination took flight. Never content to just be ordinary, Marina wanted to do something wonderful and unexpected with her passion. So she did. And she was proud of the business she had created. She worked her butt off every single day, and it was really beginning to pay off. Her store stayed busy, and her products were now in not just one, but three local stores. And if her dad didn’t understand what an amazing accomplishment that was for her, then screw him!
She pulled on her white dress shirt that was embroidered with the store’s logo, leaving it unbuttoned, and gave herself one last look in the mirror before rushing out to her kitchen. She quickly tore open a packet of instant oatmeal and emptied it into a cup. Then she poured in the hot water and stirred it up. She added a handful of dried fruit to her breakfast and ate it hastily as she kept an eye on the clock. She had a very busy morning ahead of her and she didn’t want to be late getting started, but Marina hated to miss breakfast. She could never concentrate if her stomach was growling at her.
Breakfast finished, she rinsed out the bowl and placed it and the spoon into the dishwasher. Then she grabbed the white chef’s jacket that she would need later to do her baking, and headed for the living room.
“Time to go to work, Bear,” she called out cheerfully, and the large, happy Bernese Mountain Dog came running.
Marina picked up the large box full of plastic containers that was waiting for her on the couch and somehow managed to maneuver it out to her car and load it into the back of her jeep. Then she opened up the driver’s side door and allowed Bear to hop into the passenger seat. She slid behind the wheel and started it up and then got underway.
Her store sat in a prime location right in the heart of Eastwood’s recently refurbished trendy downtown district, and it was perfect. In fact, Marina was convinced that the location itself had played a huge part in the store’s success. It was sandwiched between a popular gourmet health food store and a hip new coffee shop called Beans, and both places got a lot of foot traffic, which meant her store saw a lot of traffic too. And best of all, it wasn’t far at all from the cute little house she had been renting for the past three years. The drive took just ten minutes, perfect for a busy morning commute.
She pulled into the reserved space at the back of the store and parked. And when she got out of the car she waited for Bear to jump out after her. Juggling her purse and the large tote she used to carry her work things, she opened up the back of the jeep and lugged the large box of containers out of it. It was a delicate balancing act closing the hatch on the car while trying not to drop the box, but she did it. It’s not that the large box was particularly heavy. It was just incredibly awkward, and it obstructed her view as she walked, which was dangerous with Marina’s clumsiness. But somehow she got the thing all the way across the parking lot and onto the walkway. And that’s when she tripped over her bear of a dog.
“Whoo!”
She let out a yelp on the way down and she landed on her rump as the box went flying forward. Plastic containers bearing the store’s logo went flying everywhere.
“Shit!”
She took a deep breath and pushed herself up onto her knees. This is what she got for trying to do everything herself all the time. She set about gathering the scattered containers as Bear stood by looking guilty.
“It’s okay, buddy,” she smiled at him.
“Here, let me help you with that.”
The voice was warm and masculine, and Marina looked up into the face of the hottest guy she had seen in a long time. He was tall and rugged with dark brown hair and very blue eyes, almost like the color of sapphire gemstones, and they took Marina’s breath away as he looked down at her. Without a word, he turned and began gathering up the spilled containers.
“Oh, thank you,” she said, trying not to stare at him as she turned her attention back to the task at hand. “That’s very kind of you.”
“Just trying to help a lady in distress, ma’am,” he smiled as he glanced back at her. He wasn’t about to tell her that he had been sitting in his car waiting for her shop to open so that he could catch a glimpse of her on his way to grab a cup of coffee from the shop next to hers.
That smile made Marina forget everything for a few moments. God, he was handsome! He had this wickedly sexy five o’clock shadow framing a set of full, kissable lips, and when he smiled Marina felt her insides turn to molten lava.
“Uh … thanks,” she sputtered, trying to pull her eyes away from him.
He crouched down to pick up a few more and then reached over to place them back into the box they had spilled from.
“Oh! Hello,” he said somewhat nervously as he suddenly found himself face to face with the large, fluffy dog. Bear sniffed at him and then licked his face.
Marina giggled. “I’m really sorry. He’s just being friendly. I swear he’s not preparing to eat you! This is Woolly Bear. He’s my partner in crime,” she smiled. “And I’m Marina Kelly.”
“Woolly Bear, huh?” he said, looking back at the dog staring him in his face. “Well, the name certainly suits you, Mr. Bear. Nice to meet you.” He held out his hand and then laughed in delight when the large dog placed his paw in it. “Oh, you know that one, do you? How about high five?” he asked, holding his palm up. The dog didn’t hesitate. He took a sitting position and lifted his paw to slap the man’s hand.
Marina joined the handsome stranger in his laughter. Whoever this gorgeous man was, he was being awfully nice to her dog, and that was ten huge points in his favor already. Marina was smitten.
“Um, Bear and I didn’t catch your name,” she smiled.
He looked at her with that sexy grin as he scratched the dog’s head. “My name is Levi,” he said. “Levi Hawks.”
“Well, thank you for your help, Mr. Hawks. Your good deed is greatly appreciated and will not be forgotten,” she said. “In fact, why don’t you let me get you a cup of coffee?” she asked, glancing to her shop. “There should already be a pot brewing in my store.”
His gaze held hers for a few seconds before his smile grew bigger. “I would love a cup of coffee.”
“Great,” she smiled. She gathered her bags as she stood up and prepared to get the box of containers.
“Oh, I’ll get that,” he said, lifting it with ease.
Marina couldn’t lose the goofy smile as she walked to the back door of the shop and opened it up. She held it open for him as he carried the box inside with Bear trailing after him.
“You can just set that box down here,” she told him, indicating a large wooden table to the left. And when he set it down he glanced around, noting that they were standing in what looked like a storeroom, and he wondered again how she had come to this profession instead of police work like the rest of her family. But Levi knew that he couldn’t ask her that question because he didn’t want her to know that he was connected to the police department in any way. Not yet. In fact, he didn’t want her to know that he knew who she was at all. Though he had to admit, he had felt a little bit like a stalker for the past few weeks, trying to get whatever information he could out of her sister Frankie or his good friend John Myles, who just happened to be Frankie’s fiancé.
Marina grabbed a dozen of the plastic containers from the box and then smiled at him.
“This way,” she motioned, walking through the storeroom and into what appeared to be a small café dining area. There were about half a dozen small café-style tables with matching chairs scattered throughout the space, and at the counter stood a long glass display case that would soon be full of baked treats. And Levi could smell the brewing coffee already.
Marina placed the containers at the end of the display case and walked behind the counter where she set about pouring two cups of coffee.
“Cream and sugar?”
“Just sugar, please,” he answered. He glanced slowly around the place, taking in the dog-themed ambience. “So … am I to assume that I’ve just met the Bear of Bear’s Barkery?” he asked as he studied the pictures of customers and their dogs that hung on one wall.
“The one and only,” Marina smiled as she handed him a steaming mug of coffee.
He returned her smile as he looked up at the menu hanging behind the counter and sipped the aromatic liquid.
“So you make dog food here?”
“More like gourmet dog treats,” Marina explained. “You know … barkery. Sort of like a bakery with sweet treats, only for dogs.”
Levi chuckled. “That’s very clever. How did you come up that idea?”
“Oh, I’m not the only one,” Marina said with a shrug of her shoulders. “There are other barkeries out there, all over the country. I mean, it is a fairly new concept, but … people love to pamper their dogs, you know? And I love to bake, so I figured why not. I came up with a handful of really healthy, inventive recipes for dogs, and … hung out my shingle.”
“Well, I sometimes pass by this place on my way to grab coffee and it always looks like you stay pretty busy,” he said.
“I’ve been really lucky, yeah,” she confirmed. “The location helps, I think.”
“Well, I’m guessing it’s not just the location,” he smiled. “I mean, I’ve never tasted a gourmet dog treat before, but all of these customers on the wall seem very happy with your goods.”
Marina laughed. “Well, most dogs are easy to please. It’s really the owners that I have to impress. So, since everybody’s on an eating healthy kick these days, all of my treats are made with all natural, human-quality ingredients. The sign may say gourmet dog treats, but they really are good enough for you and me. I test every canine recipe on Bear first, and if he likes them, then I know I’m okay. So all I have to do then is worry about whether or not the people recipes are up to par.”
“You have people treats too?” he smiled.
“We bake four different types of cookies each day, and the varieties change from day to day, and the menu changes daily depending on what ingredients we’ve got on hand,” she said proudly. “And we have two different types of biscotti, great for dunking in your coffee or your hot chocolate, which we also sell. So, you can enjoy something sweet from our limited people menu while your dog tries one of everything on our vast canine menu.”
“So people actually bring their dogs into the store?” he asked, still smiling at her.
“Oh, yeah! It’s always a hoot. Some of them even insist on letting their dog chose what he wants to eat.” Levi laughed out loud, and Marina giggled at him. He had a really great laugh, and she loved the sound of it. “And the fact that we’re so close to the new dog park on Turbine Street is awesome! People let their pooches run around at the park for a while then stop in here for a treat to take home with them. It’s been great for business!”
She looked very pleased with herself as she explained what her business was all about. And Levi couldn’t tear his gaze away from the light he saw in her eyes. She was so gorgeous, and he had been interested in getting to know her ever since he had first laid eyes on her. That had been a few weeks ago when he ran into Frankie Kelly at Jake’s Bar. She had been there hanging out with her siblings, and that was when she told him that Marina refused to date cops for some odd reason. Levi had thought she was only joking, until her solemn expression let him know that she was dead serious.
Levi had been sort of semi-obsessed with Frankie’s sister ever since, and he knew that he had to find a way to get this girl to give him a chance, even if he was an Eastwood Police Detective. His plan today had been to wait until her shop opened up and then simply come inside and buy something. Anything. Just to get the opportunity to strike up a conversation with her. But when he saw her struggling with the box of containers on her way in, he thought offering to carry it for her might be the perfect opener. He was getting out of his car to do just that when he saw her fall.
“Do you have a dog of your own, Levi?” Marina asked as she pulled out a large tray of assorted dog treats and began packing them into the plastic containers.
“Uh, no. I don’t,” he said almost apologetically, really hoping that it wouldn’t be a turn-off for her. She was obviously into dogs, so he didn’t want her to think that he didn’t like them. And her affection for dogs suddenly made him think about Frankie’s passion for the police K-9 program in a whole new way. “I mean, I’ve always really liked dogs, but … I like the big dogs. Like my new friend, Bear over here. But I’m not sure a large dog would fit in at my place. I mean, the house is big enough, I guess. But large dogs need yards to run around in, don’t they? My yard isn’t all that big.”
“Oh, there are a few large breeds that actually don’t need lots of room to run,” she countered cheerfully. “Great Danes, for example. As long as they’re able to get a good walk or a half hour of play time each day, they don’t require lots of space. They actually make great apartment dogs, believe it or not.”
“Is that right?” he smiled. “Well, I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe I need to do a little research.”
“Yeah, you should,” she smiled as she continued her task, filling the plastic containers with her gourmet dog treats. “I think you’d make a great dog owner. Dogs seem to like you. I mean, Bear doesn’t just go around kissing everybody, you know? He happens to be a great judge of character.”
Levi chuckled at her. She was adorable! And as he sipped his coffee he couldn’t help but wonder how in the world he was going to get this woman to go out with him. Maybe he should just come right out and tell her the truth. Maybe her sister had only been pulling his leg and Marina didn’t actually have a “no cops” dating rule. He took a deep breath as he tried to work out what he wanted to say. And just as he opened his mouth to say something, Bear hopped up and trotted to the door of the back room they had entered through.
“Hi Bear! Morning, buddy.”
An attractive young girl came breezing into the shop, all smiles. And Levi bit his tongue as she continued to chatter away.
“Marina, it is an absolutely gorgeous day out there! Did you happen to … oh!” She stopped talking abruptly when she looked up and saw Levi.
“Good morning, Liz,” Marina smiled. “Hey, I’m running slightly behind this morning so I need you to get started in the kitchen for me, and then I’ll be right in to take over so you can open up, okay?”
“Sure thing, Boss,” Liz smiled. And Marina couldn’t miss the appreciative, lingering glances her employee was throwing Levi’s way. She couldn’t blame the girl. This one was hot with a capitol H. The girl walked past her with a sly grin and went into the kitchen, leaving them alone once again.
“Well, I should get going and let you get to work,” he smiled as he set his coffee cup on the counter. “I cannot tell you what a pleasure this morning has been. You give Beans a run for their money, by the way. That was one great cup of coffee.” He meant every word of the compliment, even if he wasn’t exactly sure whether it was the coffee itself or the company.
Marina smiled at him. “Well, don’t tell them next door, but it’s my secret ingredient that puts it over the top.”
He looked at her in surprise. “What’s the secret ingredient?”
She gave him an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “I can’t tell you; it’s a family secret! Mama Julia would never forgive me!”
He laughed as he stared at her pretty smile. “Well, I don’t know who Mama Julia is, but you tell her for me that I said her coffee is divine!”
“I will let her know,” Marina smiled, batting her eyes at him. “And you be sure to come back any morning for a coffee fix, all right? We don’t usually open the doors until 9 am, but for you, I will make an exception.”
“Oh, I will definitely be back,” he smiled, holding her gaze. This girl was amazing, and Levi could feel the chemistry pulling him in. He had to get her to go out with him. And he had to do it before she learned he was a cop. Then maybe if she discovered she liked him it would be too late for her to shut him down.
“I’ll look forward to it,” Marina said, wondering how many hints she needed to throw at him before this guy asked her out! Of course, she knew that she could just ask him. It was the twenty-first century, after all. But for all of her unrelenting “girls-can-do-anything-boys-can-do” attitude, Marina was an old-fashioned girl at heart, and she wanted the man to make the first move.
He stood for a minute just staring into her eyes. Should he ask her out now? Should he ask for her number? Should he give it one more day and come back for coffee tomorrow?
“Um, I … I need to go,” he mumbled, glancing nervously at his watch. “You uh … you and Bear have a good day.”
“Yeah, you too,” she smiled. “And thanks for coming to my rescue.”
He turned toward the front door of the place and then turned back around. “Uh, which way should I go?”
“Oh, here. I’ll let you out,” she said, walking toward the front door.
He watched her reach up to unlatch the heavy bolt at the top of the door, admiring her form the whole time.
When she unlocked the door she held it open for him. “There you go. You have a nice day, Levi,” she said softly as he slowly passed by her. He stopped briefly right in front of her and stared into her eyes once more. Hot damn, he was cute!
“Thanks again, for the coffee,” he said as he studied her pretty face.
“Anytime,” she offered, never breaking their eye contact.
He gave her that sexy smile that had stopped her in her tracks before, and Marina had to fight the urge to kiss him.
“I’ll see you around, Marina,” he said softly, suddenly feeling like an idiot.
“I hope so,” she replied. And as she watched him, she saw a flash of uncertainty in his eyes, and it puzzled her.
She was flirting with him. Levi knew that she was flirting with him, and while part of him was beyond excited at that notion, he suddenly froze up. He didn’t know how to respond. He had been thinking about this girl for weeks now, wanting to meet her, wanting to get to know her. And now here he was, with the prime opportunity to ask her out, and he clams up!
He couldn’t say anything. He simply smiled at her, giving her a nod as he left. He heard her close and lock the door behind him as he walked away, and he rolled his eyes at himself as he took a deep breath. What the hell had just happened? He was so interested in this girl he had practically been stalking her ever since he’d first seen her! Using his police connections to find out whatever he could about her. He wanted to ask her out so badly; why hadn’t followed through on it? But as he slowly walked back to his car, he already knew the answer to that question. He didn’t follow through because of Stacy.
Levi slid behind the wheel and sighed. What happened with Stacy had crushed him, and he wasn’t exactly eager to have it happen again. And he knew in his head that he was being a fucking idiot. This girl was not Stacy. She was, however, the first woman who had aroused his interest in months, the first woman he had wanted to get close to since being played. And he had just blown it.
He could go back. He could get out of his car and march back to the store and knock until she opened the door. And then what? Would he have the balls to push thoughts of Stacy’s betrayal aside and finally move forward? He reached out and placed his key in the ignition and started the car. And he mentally kicked himself all the way to the station.
Inside the store, Marina suddenly felt bummed. She had been her cute, fun and flirty self with that guy and he still walked out of her store without her number. Had she read him wrong? She could have sworn that she had felt all the right vibes from him as they were talking and laughing over coffee. He appeared to enjoy her silly sense of humor, and he had shown an interest in Bear. More importantly, Bear had taken an immediate liking to Levi, and Marina trusted her dog’s judgment when it came to people. He hadn’t steered her wrong yet.
Still, that gorgeous man had walked out of her store without asking her out and without asking for her number. She didn’t even know anything about him except his name, and that he frequented Beans, and that he didn’t have a dog of his own.
She rolled her eyes at herself as she turned and entered the kitchen, making sure to close the door so that Bear couldn’t follow after her. She really did have a lot to do this morning, and her mystery man had set her back at least half an hour. She needed to get cracking.
“Sorry about that, Liz,” she stated as she shrugged off her dress shirt and pulled on her chef’s jacket.
“Oh, no problem, Boss,” the girl smiled. “I’ve turned on all the appliances and the mixing machines. The ovens are preheating, and I’ve gathered all of your ingredients for today’s menu, so you should be all set to go. I assumed you would want to start with the people cookies since that display is empty right now, so those ingredients are lined up first.”
“Great! Thank you,” Marina smiled at her. Liz had been such a great find, and Marina couldn’t have asked for a better employee. The girl was fresh out of high school and taking classes at the Eastwood Community College, and this job was helping to pay for her tuition. Not only did she work as a cashier at the barkery, but she would come in bright and early each day and basically do all the tedious things that would normally slow Marina down, like cleaning the store before they opened. And since their clientele included four-legged canines who sometimes had unfortunate accidents, keeping the floors of the place cleaned and sanitized was extremely important.
“Well, we’re burning daylight, so you should get out there and start the cleanup,” Marina stated as she prepared to get a couple of batches of oatmeal blueberry cookies into the oven.
“Yeah, I’ll go get started,” Liz said cheerfully as she moved toward the door of the kitchen. Then she stopped and turned around, looking at Marina with the same sly smile she had shot her way earlier. “So … was that hottie out there your new guy, Marina?”
She looked up from her task and smiled at Liz. “God, you have no idea how much I wish that I could say yes to that question. But the truth is, I’ve never met him before this morning. He was a good Samaritan who came to my rescue after I fell flat on my ass carrying in that box of new containers that got shipped to my house instead of here, remember?”
“Yeah,” Liz answered still smiling at her. “You fell? Where?”
“Right outside the back entrance coming in this morning,” Marina giggled. “It was so embarrassing. Then I looked up and there he was, offering to help and looking all good enough to eat!”
“I’ll say,” Liz agreed.
Marina stared down at her large mixing bowl as she replayed the first moment she saw him over in her head. Then she looked up at Liz once more. “He really is cute, isn’t he?”
“Oh, my God! That man should be on the cover of magazines,” Liz exclaimed. And then they both dissolved into a fit of giggles.