HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Carefully parking his SUV around the corner and a block away from Sweet Indulgence, Cruz felt a little silly as he nonchalantly made his way to the bakery. It reminded him of when he was in high school and tried to see his girlfriend of the minute while she was grounded. There were secret notes, cancelled meetings, and phone conversations that were almost in spy code.

This week had been no exception. Even more so when he thought about it. With Robin in the hospital, Bobbie and Lucas had taken to keeping her bakery running. Every minute she wasn't working on the super secret wedding of the century, she spent in the shop with her son. He didn't care to admit how many times he had hung up on Lucas this week when the young man answered the phone. Or how many times a conversation had shifted abruptly from tentative plans for the weekend to an order for a specialty cake of some sort. Cruz had found himself on the receiving end of the sales pitch for a retirement cake, a baby shower cake, and a birthday cake.

Cruz understood why Bobbie had been scarce since Robin went into the hospital. Besides running two businesses and seeing her grandson, she was also worried about losing a friend. He knew Patrick wasn't a good measuring stick by any means, but he had been a basket case for most of the week and, whatever those two were, they weren't nearly as close as Robin and Bobbie. So he was trying to keep her stress level down. As much fun as sneaking around was, Cruz could admit it was stressful. He fought the battle to tell all to Lucky and Patrick daily. Every time they were together, the thought was always in the back of his mind. What if some one sees us this time? Patrick and Luke had come too close the last time. His heart still raced when he thought about it for too long.

But when he had talked to her this morning, it was impossible to miss the exhaustion in her voice. Bobbie was running herself ragged and it was time he stepped up and took care of her like he should have been doing all week. She hadn't even laughed at his lamest jokes like she always had before. Even his most cheesy come-on line hadn't provoked a mildly amused sigh, much less the sympathy giggle it normally did. Bobbie obviously needed someone to take over on something for her and it was going to be him.

Checking his watch, he smiled as he realized he had timed his arrival exactly right. The shop would be closed and the last lingering customers would have left by now. Bobbie had told him Lucas would only be able to help during the lunch rush as he and Dillon had some sort of parent event at Lance's day camp this afternoon. Coming upon the door, he smiled when he noticed the darkened interior. In the fading summer light, he could make out her silhouette as she leaned over the counter, counting the money from the register. He knocked on the glass, waving when she looked up and caught his eye.

"Hi!" He kissed her cheek as she opened the door just enough for him to squeeze past her and into the shop. "How was your day?"

Sighing Bobbie followed him back to the counter. "Lunch wasn't so bad but breakfast about killed me this morning. Edward is cranky when he doesn't get his muffin just the right way. I have no idea how Lila does it."

"Sit." He steered her towards one of the high stools. "Have you eaten today?"

"I had breakfast when I got here and Lucas brought me lunch when he arrived. Now dinner's another story."

"I see." Cruz made a mental note to pick up on dinner on the way back to her place tonight. Before she collapsed he was going to make sure she was fed at least. "Are you going to see Robin tonight?"

"I thought about it but when I talked to her earlier today she said some of her friends were stopping by later on tonight. I got the distinct impression my nephews were going to be discussed and figured it might be better if I wasn't there."

There it was again. Even the most innocent mention of Lucky and Patrick brought a twinge of guilt in his heart. They had befriended him, made him a part of their family, bailed him out of countless jams with the magazine, and was the reasons he had ever even met Bobbie to begin with. And here he was sneaking around with their aunt and lying to them every chance he had. He should have told them months ago. Pushing away the guilt, he refocused his concentration on the woman sitting in front of him. Tonight was about her, not his guilty conscience. Her.

"So after you close up you plan to go home, is that it?" He started counting the money in the till drawer. "How much remains to open in the morning?"

"$60 total." Bobbie answered automatically. She reached for the drawer. "Give me that."

"Nope. Does she want to leave a ten in the drawer or just fives and ones?"

"A ten. Now hand it over."

"Coin included?" Cruz pulled the drawer closer to her. He had noticed she had written out some figures on a napkin to the side of the drawer. Obviously she had been in the process of adding up the coins when he had arrived.

"Yes. Will you let me continue that? I had a system going." Bobbie made a grab for the till but he eluded her. Removing the access coins, he quickly counted up the remaining money and bundled the extra together.

"There. Now where's the deposit bag?"

Bobbie slid off the stool and made her way back to the small office Robin kept. Locating the blue bank deposit bag in the safe, she turned and found Cruz had followed her in. Motioning with his head to open the bag, he dropped the money in, zipping and locking the bag. Once Bobbie safely locked the bag away, he gently steered her back into the small eating area, lightly massaging her shoulders as he walked behind her.

He directed her to same stool she had vacated. "Now the money is taken care of. What is next?"

"I still have to wipe down the counters, wipe down the tables, wipe down the display shelves, and clean the floors." She made a move back towards the kitchen area.

Cruz quickly raced out to catch her. He has spotted the small cleaning closet when he had followed her inside. Barely beating her to the door, he blocked her entrance. "Go sit down."

"I still have work to do."

"In case you've missed it, I'm trying to do this work for you. Just relax and let me do this for you please?"

"Baby that is sweet, but I can't let you do that."

"Why not?"

"Because Robin has a very high standard and a very specific method of cleaning."

Cruz grinned. Robin would have a field day if she ever saw Patrick's apartment after he had been working non-stop for weeks on end. He was fairly certain battle zones would be cleaner. "I'll have you know I excel at reaching high standards and I happen to be an expert on many techniques I bet even Robin hasn't heard about." He winked at her. "Even techniques you are unfamiliar with."

Bobbie lifted one eyebrow. "Oh really?" she drawled.

He pulled her closer, stopping only when her hands reached his chest. "I tell you what; you let me get started, then if it's not right, then you can instruct me on how to finish properly." Cruz was pretty sure he was still talking about cleaning. If he wasn't, he really didn't want to think about what grade pervert he was to find discussing cleaning techniques as a good cover for talking about sex.

Bobbie bit her lip, looking mischievous as she did. Oh he was in trouble. He had started out with the simple intention of making sure she took it easy tonight. Now, unless he had completely misread her facial expression, and he was ninety-nine point nine percent sure he hadn't, he had apparently succeeded in getting her to consider sex tonight. Not that he was in any way opposed to that, he just hadn't planned on anything happening tonight. And certainly not here.

Bobbie titled her head to the side, and had barely opened her mouth when they heard it. The unmistakable twist of a key in the lock. As quickly as the moment over took them, it left as reality set in. Someone was very close to finding them in a not so innocent looking position. She quickly shoved him into the swinging door and Cruz held himself still on the wall just inside.

"Mom?" Lucas's voice echoed in the stillness. "You still here?"

"Grandma?" He had met Lance a handful of times at Laura's house, but still Cruz knew the sound of the boy's voice.

"Back here!" Bobbie called out. Cruz listened as her footsteps moved towards the door. "I thought you had that parent's night thing? And where is Dillon?"

"Right here." The chimes above the door signaled Dillon's arrival. "The event got out earlier than we thought it would. Lance, of course, was brilliant."

"Dad." If Cruz was a betting man, he would place good money on the boy looking down at the ground and kicking his foot out.

"I'm sure he was." He didn't miss the pride in her voice when she talked to her grandson. That was still strange to him. He was involved with a grandmother. Grandmothers were old ladies with white hair in buns who sat on the porch, baked cookies, and wore flannel nightgowns. They most certainly did not have red hair and have a drawer full of lingerie from Victoria's Secret.

"It still doesn't tell me what you are doing here." He could picture her standing there with her arms crossed and an amused smile on her lips.

"Well you've been doing so much lately, we decided that we would take care of the closing tonight." Lucas explained. "Now get your stuff and go home. We'll take care of all the cleaning."

Cruz was convinced this was what a heart attack felt like. His heart was going to leap out of his chest, run across the shiny floor, and right out the back door he saw there. He should make a quick run for the back door, but he was fairly certain that A- the damn thing would make a noise and B-Lucas, Dillon, Lance, or with his luck all three of them, would spot him running for his life.

"Oh you really don't have to do that." She sounded nervous. This wasn't good. They were going to figure something was going on. Cruz inched his way along the wall, praying he wouldn't send a tower of pans crashing down on top of him. If he could just make his way into the office, there was a small chance he could hide under the desk. He'd probably have to sleep under there for the night, but he could live with that.

Two more feet and he would make it to the relative safety of the office. He could no longer hear what they were saying, the door dulling the conversation to a dull mumble, but as long as it was a mumble he was safe for the moment. A mumble meant they weren't about to come in and find him. A mumble meant he would live another day without Lucky and Patrick finding out who his mystery girlfriend was, because there was no doubt in his mind, just who Lucas would call first if he was discovered.

The door from the front swung open just as he eased his way into the office. "Just let me get my stuff from the back. You boys really don't have to do this."

Lucas and Dillon were too far away for him to hear their response clearly but he didn't care. If he didn't hear them, he was still safe. As soon as the door swung shut, Bobbie whirled around, her eyes racing across the room to find him. He noticed her shoulders sag in relief when she spotted the hand he eased out the door of the office.

"I didn't know." She started to apologize in a whisper.

"I figured that one out on my own." He smiled. Under normal circumstances he may have kissed the tip of her nose, but that was playing with fire. "The bigger issue right now is how do we get out of here? More specifically how do I get out of here?"

Bobbie indicated the back door with her head. "I actually had to use the back door this morning. I had to stop at an early morning supplier and bring it back here first. It just made more sense than coming in through the front. Can you get to the door without being caught? I'll tell them goodbye up there and let you out back here. I'll drive you back to your car."

Had there been no audience and no risk of being caught, he may have just lifted her up and swung her around the room. Instead Cruz settled on a quick kiss. "I owe you my life. I'll have to think of someway to repay you."

"I'm sure we'll come up with something." She playfully pushed at him. "Now go, start heading towards the door. I'll meet you in a few seconds."

Moving quickly, he used the table and the wall as cover so that no one in the front area would notice any movement. His back was certainly going to be reminding him about this one later for all the crouching he was doing but there was no way around it. The only possible trouble spot was right next to the door. If anyone was to look into the kitchen from the front, they would have an unobstructed view of him sitting there, like the proverbial lame duck. Cruz decided the safe option was to stand behind the corner of the wall separating the dishwashing area from the food preparation station and make a crouched run for it when the time came.

"Goodbye boys. I'll see you tomorrow." Bobbie came through the door with her back to him. Thankfully, no one seemed to follow her into the kitchen and when she turned around he assumed no one was watching her walk to the door. She caught his eye when she reached the door and she motioned quickly for him when she opened the heavy steel barrier. Just like he thought, it made noise. He raced for the open air of the back parking lot and the safety her car represented.

Leaning against the door, he couldn't help but look over his shoulder as he waited for her to unlock the door. Hearing the telltale click, he quickly slid in, crouching as low in the seat as could.

"That was close." Bobbie whispered as she fastened her seat belt and turned the engine on.

"Too close." He agreed. It was the second time in almost a month they had almost been caught by family and friends. They had to talk about this. The lies were getting to him. He really didn't want to be an expert at sneaking around and hiding in kitchens and alleyways. He wanted to be able to tell his friends what was going on in his life. He wanted to be able to date Bobbie publicly and not like they were having some seedy affair.

It was time, he decided. It was time they went public.