WHISKING IT ALL
CHAPTER SIX

"Oh." Meredith stepped back up to Rick's side and looped her arm through his. "I decided to come up tonight so I could pay a visit to my husband."

Kate's jaw dropped. "I'm sorry, your husband?" She shifted her attention to Rick, who looked like he wanted to crawl into the ground. She couldn't read him, though, couldn't tell if his reaction was a confirmation of Meredith's words, or what. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, vaguely aware that the motion pulled her shirt - his shirt - higher up her thighs.

"Rick?" she prodded.

He lifted his gaze to her, and she took the guilt in his eyes to mean just one thing: Meredith was telling the truth.

She felt her eyes fill with tears and, willing them not to fall, she cleared her throat and nodded. "I should go."

"Kate-"

"No, it's fine. I'll be out of your hair in a few minutes." She heard Rick say something to Meredith as she retreated to the bedroom, but she couldn't make out the words, and frankly, she didn't really care.

When she and Rick had started their - well, relationship - she'd assumed he was also single. But as she shut the bedroom door behind her and retrieved her clothes from the floor, she realized that they'd never made it clear what their respective relationship statuses were.

He was married.

Goddammit.

She heard the door open as she was tugging on her underwear, and she slipped her bra on, ignoring the plea of her name coming from his lips. It wasn't worth it. Taking part in an affair - let alone being the other woman - had always been a line to never even consider crossing.

That she'd had no idea meant nothing to her.

"Kate," Rick repeated in a low, strained voice. "Please, wait. Let me explain."

"What is there to explain?" she snapped, turning towards him, her pants in her hand. "Are you, or aren't you married?"

"I'm not."

"So Meredith is a liar?"

"Yes." Rick hesitated. "No."

Kate scoffed and sat on the bed, thrust her legs into her pants and laid down so she could tug them over her hips. "Which is it, Rick? Either you've been cheating on your wife with me, or Meredith's a liar. There's no third option."

"We just finalized our divorce."

When Rick joined her on the bed and put his hand on her shoulder she paused her attempts to button her pants. She closed her eyes in anticipation, ready to jump up and finish getting dressed, or to listen to whatever his explanation was. "Define 'just.'"

Rick sighed next to her. "Right before Christmas. We were separated for over a year. I thought we could make it work, so I held out on the divorce paperwork as long as I could. But," he continued, "I eventually pulled my head out of my ass and realized it was never going to work between us. It barely even worked when we were together," he added with a wry chuckle.

Kate lifted her gaze and studied him, his eyes, the set of his jaw, and she knew in her gut that he was telling the truth. "Why would she lie?"

Rick shrugged. "I have no idea. She's competitive, maybe she sees us being together as some kind of loss? Meredith is-" He sighed. "Look, she has some good qualities. I do think that, deep down, she's a good person. And she's great at her job," he added. He placed a tentative hand on her thigh. "You'd probably do well to work with her company."

Kate groaned and dropped her head in her hands. Right...the partnership-slash-sale opportunity. But knowing who Meredith was, her history with Rick, well, it might be too messy for her liking.

"I told her, in no uncertain terms, that she wasn't welcome here anymore. She's gone." Rick rubbed his thumb along her knee. "I'm sorry, Kate. I understand if you still want to leave. But I promise, I am very much not in a relationship with anyone else."

Kate let out a long sigh before his words caught up with her. "Anyone else?" she repeated, lifting her gaze to his.

Rick gave her an encouraging lift of his lips. "I tend to be a serial monogamist," he admitted with a shrug. "So once we started, you know, hanging out, I considered it a relationship. Yes, even though we've been casual," he added when she opened her mouth to respond. "I'm not pressuring you for a label. Just know that as long as we're seeing each other, no matter how casual it is, I'm not seeing anyone else."

"Dammit," Kate groaned after a long silence. "I really wanted to storm out of here in a jealous rage and go back to New York," she admitted. "But that was the most romantic thing anyone's ever said to me."

Rick let out a relieved chuckle and draped his arm around her shoulders. "Oh, honey," he teased, "you have no idea just how romantic I can be."

The first clue Kate had that Rick had raised the romance level greeted her the next morning, despite being alone in bed when she woke. She smiled when she spotted the bouquet of flowers on the nightstand, and she sat up and reached for the folded paper that leaned against the vase.

Kate,

I had to tend to a few things around here, but I'll come back when I can so we can have a lazy day for as long as you can stay. If you don't want to wait, the coffee pot's ready to go (much like me when I see you in my shirts). Speaking of my shirts, yesterday's flannel is hanging behind the bathroom door for you. Feel free to wear it, or not. Your choice.

Rick

Kate felt her face flush as she read his words about his shirt. He wasn't kidding when he said he enjoyed when she wore his clothes; she'd slipped on his flannel when she'd gotten up in the middle of the night for a drink, and he'd been so excited, he almost tore the buttons when he'd tugged her into him.

She glanced at the clock on Rick's nightstand and raised her eyebrows at the time. She regularly woke between 5:30 and 6:00, and it was almost nine. No wonder the sun coming through the windows was brighter than normal.

Well, she had been awake most of the night, she reminded herself with a smirk. She obviously needed the rest.

She heard the back door slam, and when footsteps grew louder she instinctively pulled the duvet to cover her bare chest. When the bedroom door opened and Rick stepped through, though, she breathed a sigh of relief, even as her eyes trailed down his body.

He'd obviously been working hard, as she could see sweat through his t-shirt, but on him it was sexy instead of a turn off. Here was a tall, broad, handsome-as-sin man, who was good with his hands in more ways than one, and knew just how to get what he wanted.

Kate licked her lips and dropped her gaze to ass, perfectly shaped in his tight jeans. When she lifted her eyes she noticed him smirking at her, and she grinned and held out her hand, letting the sheet fall.

"Good morning," she husked, crooking her finger, "why don't you come over and greet me like a proper gentleman?"

Rick smirked and sat by her hip. "Did you see my good morning gift?" he asked, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.

"Yes, thank you. They're beautiful." Kate waved the note. "I read this, too, but you came in before I could put your shirt on."

His eyes darkened and he leaned forward, nudged his nose against hers. "Later," he murmured in a low voice, gravelly with desire. He dropped his gaze to her parted lips and he pressed his mouth to hers, their tongues meeting immediately.

She moaned in his mouth and threw her arms around his neck, molding her torso to his, tearing her mouth away with a gasp when his soft t-shirt brushed against her already sensitive breasts. "Oh God," she gasped, "please."

Rick trailed his mouth down her neck and along her collar, but before his hands touched her where she wanted them most, he pulled away with a grimace. "I need to shower," he told her, regret lacing his words. "I'd ask you to join me, but I need an actual, real shower."

Kate wrinkled her nose when she caught a whiff. She'd been so caught up in the work of his mouth and tongue, that she hadn't even noticed he smelled like - well, like someone who had been working in a dairy for the entire morning.

She slid out of bed and ducked into the bathroom first, brushing her teeth and retrieving the shirt, which she slipped on and buttoned. "I'll make the coffee," she suggested when she emerged, and she froze when she found Rick picking out clean clothes, having apparently taken the opportunity of her brief absence to disrobe.

He glanced over his shoulder and grinned when he saw her staring. "I won't be long," he assured her. "I promise. I take quick showers."

Kate hummed in appreciation and moved to the door. She paused before she left and turned back to him. "Do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Maybe...don't put clothes on when you're done?"

Rick chuckled. "We'll see." When she pouted, he continued. "Only because the dairy's running. Everyone knows the house is off-limits, but if there's an emergency…"

"Okay, I get it," Kate interrupted him.

He paused at the doorway to the bathroom and looked back at her with a crooked grin. "I'll wear something that comes off easy," he teased with a wink before disappearing through the door.

In deference to the possibility that Rick's employees could burst through the door for an emergency, Kate put underwear on, although she opted against her pants. She was showing less leg than when she wore shorts or a swimsuit, so if anyone had an issue, they'd just need to get over it.

She heard the shower run as she waited for the coffee to brew. By the time she prepared their respective drinks - smiling when she noticed her preferred creamer in the fridge despite mentioning it just once in passing - the shower was off, and Rick met her in the living room, running a towel through his still-wet hair.

He took a sip and grinned. "Thank you, it's perfect."

Kate glanced at his sweatpants and quirked an eyebrow. "I'm going to assume you're not wearing anything under those," she teased, stepping close and reaching for the drawstring.

Rick tutted and hopped back. "That's for me to know," he said, "and you to find out. After coffee," he added, lifting his mug to his lips. "I've been up since four."

"Four? We didn't go to sleep until after three," she pointed out.

"Unfortunately, my job requires an early day no matter how late I was up." Rick wrapped his arm around her waist and tugged her into his side. "Maybe we can take a nap later."

Kate hummed and smudged a kiss to his unshaved jaw. "A nap? Or a 'nap?'" She punctuated the word with air quotes. Before he could respond, though, her stomach grumbled, and she dropped her forehead to his bicep, hiding her face with embarrassment.

"Cockblocked by your appetite," Rick chuckled, squeezing her waist and guiding her towards the kitchen. Come sit while I make you breakfast."

"I can help," she insisted, but when he just gave her a look, she sunk into a chair to watch.

After an interruption-free morning spent lazing around, Kate returned to the B&B to retrieve her laptop and check in with work. As she waited for her email to load, however, her mind drifted to Meredith and the offer from Black Pawn Baking.

Financially, it made sense.

But she had also come to realize that her feelings for Rick were rapidly evolving past the physical. He was sweet, attentive, not just in bed - or on other convenient surfaces - but outside, too. He asked about her, about her family, her work, her friends. He listened when she talked, and she could almost see him tuck away everything she said for future reference. And she found herself opening up to him more than she did to anyone, maybe even more than Lanie.

She smiled when she thought of her best friend's words just a few weeks prior.

You like him.

She was starting to think she could do more than like him.

She skimmed through her email, looking for anything that was urgent, but her mind kept wandering to the wrench she'd been thrown the previous evening. Meredith, the potential savior of the bakery, was Rick's ex-wife. Maybe it was petty, but she didn't want the bakery to be anywhere near the other woman. It was her family legacy.

Kate let out a loud sigh and ran her fingers through her hair. It was probably reckless, definitely a terrible financial decision that could derail her entire life, but she only had one choice. So she pulled up a new email, typed out a quick request, copied her immediate boss, and sent off her request for a leave of absence.

She wouldn't quit; a leave to take care of family matters was entirely possible, and it would give her the chance to guide the bakery through the tourism season, hopefully set it up for long-term success even if she wasn't there in person. If the firm didn't accept that, they'd have to fire her.

When a reply appeared just minutes later with an approval for a six month leave, and instructions to return the following week to pass her clients and files to other attorneys, she pumped her fist in excitement. She'd expected some backlash, which was why she'd asked for the six months; she would have accepted three, but she wouldn't argue.

She spent the rest of the afternoon making arrangements. She signed up for a five week crash course in baking and decorating, added a note in her calendar to sublet her apartment when it was done, and to find a place to stay in town for the summer. If she was going to save her bakery, she couldn't do it from Manhattan.

She grinned when she remembered Lanie's suggestion that she move to Southbridge.

It looked like her friend was right about that, too.

TWO MONTHS LATER

"Alexis, wait up!" Kate called out when she saw the red shock of hair approach the bakery. She grinned at Alexis's obvious excitement; they'd been closed since the fire, and they were both looking forward to getting back to work for the first time in almost two months.

The summer tourism season was beginning to heat up, and they already had several orders for various businesses and customers in the surrounding area. Kate was nervous, but her excitement about being able to use her newly acquired skills won out.

She was, however, very nervous to see the kitchen. Alexis had handled the entire rebuilding process, and while she'd kept Kate in the loop with frequent updates, Kate had ended up being less hands-on than she'd wanted to be.

They entered through the front door, and although Kate noticed Alexis hang back, she thought nothing of it until she stepped into the back and gasped. Everything was shiny, sparkling, and looked brand-new, and Kate looked back to her employee. "I thought we agreed to buy as much as we could secondhand."

Alexis shrugged. "We got some good deals."

Kate had a feeling she wasn't getting the full story, but she ignored it, and went back to her inspection. The ovens all had their pop star identities back, and-

She hesitated. The ovens. She counted them. There was an extra.

"Hey, Alexis?"

That time there was no answer, and when Kate turned she noticed Alexis had disappeared. She heard hushed voices in the front of the store, and she followed the noise.

"Surprise!"

Kate's jaw dropped when she was met by a full storefront. She recognized several of the townspeople with whom she'd become friends, and many unfamiliar faces. She grinned when Rick snuck in behind everyone and raised his hand in greeting. "What's going on?" she asked Alexis, who was standing to the side with a grin.

"We all know how important the bakery is to you, and to the town," Alexis added, motioning towards everyone. "So, everyone here, and some people who couldn't make it, all decided to pitch in to help bridge the gap between the insurance, and what we needed for new equipment. Including," she continued, "an additional oven. Which I think we should name Theresa."

Kate's eyes filled with tears and she wrapped her arms around her waist, willing her tears not to fall. But as soon as she caught Rick's eye, saw his own gaze shimmering, she let out a chuckle. "I don't know what to say," she managed. "Can everyone tell me what you paid so I can pay you back?"

Martha slid behind the counter and pulled Kate into her arms. "Don't even think about it," she murmured as she patted Kate's back. "The payback is the extra business we'll all hopefully get when this place goes viral from the penis cookies."

"The - I'm sorry, what?" Kate stepped back and glanced at Alexis. "Penis cookies?"

Alexis shrugged. "Remember those bachelorette party cookies I made in February?" When Kate nodded, she continued. "I kinda added them to our website and they've been really popular."

Kate rolled her eyes and smiled. "Well, that's one way to bring in business." She turned back to the crowd. "Thank you, everyone. I don't...I can't…" She stopped and swallowed around the lump in her throat. "I'm an attorney, I'm never speechless," she joked, earning chuckles. "But I am now. Thank you."

By the time the store emptied she was exhausted, having shaken hands and hugged more people in an hour than she had in months. But finally it was just her, Alexis, and Rick, and she noticed Alexis sneak to the back when Rick approached her. She let him pull her into his arms, and she sighed, closed her eyes as she laid her cheek on his chest. "I'm glad you're here," she admitted, fisting her hands in the back of his shirt.

Rick chuckled, the sound reverberating through her, and he squeezed her closer. "I couldn't be anywhere else," he said into her hair, pressing his lips to the top of her head. He took a step back and tilted her face up with a finger under her chin. "Hey, why don't you come over for the rest of the day? We can celebrate your new kitchen," he added, wiggling his eyebrows.

Kate bit her bottom lip, her eyes following his as they dropped and darkened, but she shook her head. "I can't, I have to start getting ready for next week." They were having a grand reopening just in time for Mother's Day, not to mention more orders than she could count, and she didn't want to waste any time.

"You can spare a day," Alexis called out from the back. She poked her head through the doorway. "Rick's been miserable without you. Go."

"Alexis was right, you know," Rick said later, after rejoining Kate in his bed and pulling her into his arms. "I have been miserable."

She pulled away and scooted up, propped her head on her hand so she could gaze down at him. "Oh?"

He turned to his side and mirrored her pose. "Yeah. I think-" He sighed. "I think I've made it clear that I like you. A lot."

Kate quirked the corner of her mouth. "That you have," she agreed. "And I like you a lot, too." She reached out and ran her fingers through the tuft of hair that always flopped over his forehead. "I'm glad I took the baking class, and stayed in the city to do it, but I really missed you."

"So, listen." Rick sat up and leaned against the headboard, waiting for her to join him before continuing. "I know we haven't ever put a label on our relationship. I think we're more than friends with benefits, and lovers doesn't really sound right." He took her hand and laced their fingers together, lifted them to brush a kiss along her knuckles. "What do you think about girlfriend?"

Kate's first instinct was to thrust her arms in the air and jump for joy, but instead she bit the inside of her cheek as she pretended to consider. "That depends," she began. She paused, then finally, when Rick gave her an exasperated "what?" she took pity on him and continued. "If I say yes, will we start going on real dates?"

Rick let out a relieved chuckle and squeezed her hand. "I will take you on so many dates you won't even know what hit you."

Kate grinned and looped her arms around his neck so she could tug herself onto his lap. When he shifted them so she was straddling his legs, she nudged her nose against his and let their lips brush together for the briefest moment before pulling back. "Can we go on one tonight?"

Rick's eyes fluttered shut when she rolled her hips against his, and his large hands slid up her back to hold her to him. "Whatever you want, Kate." His eyes flew open when she trailed her lips down his neck and reached a hand between them. "Anything - oh God - anything specific you'd like to do?"

Kate lifted her head and grinned at the faraway look in his eyes. "Let's talk about it later," she teased, climbing off him and lying back, inviting him into the cradle of her hips with a single arch of her back.

Rick hovered over her and licked his lips before taking her mouth in a fierce kiss, desperation and lust pouring through the stroke of his tongue. "Whatever you want."