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  Katie rang up sales, scooped up pastries and slices of pie for people to take home or back to the office, cleared tables, and collected smiles and tips in equal quantity. Katie had a natural friendly air about her that made people feel comfortable. She drew people to her with her easy smile and lively blue eyes. She had an unhurried manner about her that permeated the shop, giving the place a relaxed and cheerful atmosphere.

  Katie glanced at the clock as the last lunchtime group, a table of five, left. A handful of customers were scattered around the shop, but everyone had their orders and were busy finishing their meals or sipping their coffee. It was just before two in the afternoon and the busiest part of the day was behind her. Between now and closing at six there would be a slow but steady stream of people who just wanted a coffee or a snack.

  Sighing in relief, Katie stretched her arms over her head, the move accentuating her long, lean, athletic build. Standing five foot eight in her stocking feet, she was as comfortable with her size ten body as she was with her short brown hair, cut in a no-nonsense style. Katie wore no makeup and her morning routine consisted of a shower, moisturizer, and running her fingers through her hair. Her movements drew more than one appreciative male eye, but Katie never noticed.

  “Is that it?”

  Katie turned at the sound of Lucas’s rough voice. She watched as he scanned the shop, missing nothing. “That’s the end of the lunch crowd.”

  “Have Judy watch the counter.” Lucas disappeared back into the kitchen.

  Katie shook her head, amused at her boss’s shorthand speech. “Judy, I’m out back talking to Lucas. Call if you need anything.” One more glance reassured her that the teenage girl would be fine for a few minutes, so she poured herself a cup of iced tea and retreated to the sanctuary of the kitchen.

  Standing in the doorway, she paused for a moment, and watched Lucas work. At forty, he was sixteen years her senior, but he’d always treated her like a younger sister. He was six feet tall, but looked much larger as he was built like a brick building, solid and unyielding. His face was a strong one, compelling, if not classically handsome with a nose that had been broken more than once. His blond hair was cut short and was not yet showing any signs of gray. Most customers would never have believed that it was this man who created the culinary treats that they purchased every day.

  A tattoo peeked out from under the edge of his white t-shirt and Katie knew the barbed wire design ran all the way around his biceps. It was one of several he had, all reminders of his days in prison.

  Behind his hard façade, Katie knew, lay one of the gentlest souls in the world. Lucas had discovered his skill at baking behind bars when at eighteen he’d gone to jail for severely beating a man. That he’d been protecting his mother from his abusive father at the time had not mattered to the courts. By the time he’d gotten out of prison several years later, his mother was dead and his father was doing time for the deed.

  Katie walked over to him and leaned into his side. His arm automatically came around her shoulders. She was alone since the death of her beloved grandmother, Olivia, and though they were an unlikely pair, they were family by choice, if not by blood.

  “Is everything all right?” Katie placed her glass on the counter and waited patiently.

  “Yeah, for now.” He gave her a quick squeeze before moving away from her. Opening the oven door, he checked the pies that were baking and then removed them, one by one, until all six of them were steaming on the counter. The air was filled with the smells of cherries, apples, and cinnamon.

  He laughed when she breathed deeply and sighed, then deftly cut a piece of cherry pie and heaped it onto a plate. “Let it cool for a minute so you don’t burn your tongue,” he cautioned her as he handed her the plate.

  Katie took the mouthwatering piece of pie with one hand, and pulled open a drawer and dug out a fork with the other. Settling everything in front of her at the counter, she pulled over a stool and plunked herself down. “So what’s up?” she asked as she broke off a flaky piece of pastry with her fork.

  “I sold your painting.”

  Her pie lay forgotten as she stared at Lucas. The hum of the refrigerator was the only sound in the quiet kitchen other than the sudden ringing in her ears. Surely, she had misunderstood him. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. Swallowing hard, she tried again. “But that was just for display in the shop.” Her voice shook as badly as her hand, and she carefully laid her fork on the edge of the plate. The clink of stainless steel against the earthenware plate sounded unusually loud in the silence that followed.

  Lucas just shook his head. They’d had this conversation before and he was continually frustrated by her insistence that she keep her talent a secret. “Your work is good enough to display, it’s good enough to sell.” His pale blue eyes studied her as he drew up another stool and sat next to her. “What are you waiting for, Katie? You can’t stay here forever.”

  “Don’t you want me here?” She felt lightheaded and slightly nauseous at the thought that Lucas might want her to go. Her hands grasped the edge of the counter for support.

  “Honey, of course I want you here.” He reached across the counter and took her pale, cool hand in his larger, warmer one. “But you’re better than this place, Katie. You’ve got real talent.” She stared at his familiar countenance, gauging the sincerity of his words. Lucas had never lied to her.

  “I’m not ready to leave. I don’t want to leave.” Her voice was getting louder and more agitated as she spoke. Katie took a deep breath. Then another. It didn’t help. Her heart continued to pound inside her chest, and the room seemed to spin around her.

  “You don’t have to go anywhere,” Lucas soothed, his voice low and reassuring. “But I want you to consider letting me hang some of your work here. We could advertise it and have a small opening party here at the shop.” Ruthlessly, he played his trump card. “It would be good for business.”

  Katie’s thoughts continued to whirl. The painting had been a self-portrait of sorts. It was a side view of her, sitting on the stone steps of her apartment building, watching the sunrise over the city. She knew she’d captured the beauty of the moment as the colors of the morning sun had washed the aged buildings, making the old, decrepit neighborhood beautiful for that one moment of time.

  “Who bought it?” Katie found it hard to imagine her painting hanging in some stranger’s home.

  Lucas shrugged, unconcerned by such details. “I don’t know, really. Some businessmen sent his assistant down to buy it. I told her it wasn’t for sale.” His eyes gleamed and a rare smile crossed his face. “Next thing I know she’s on the cell phone and is offering me two thousand for it.”

  “Dollars?” Katie managed to sputter.

  “Yeah, that was my reaction. I guess she took my shock for denial and offered three.” Reaching into his apron pocket he withdrew a plain envelope. “I told her that the artist wanted thirty-five hundred in cash.”

  Katie’s hand shook as she reached out and took the envelope. She opened it and just stared at the contents as they slid out of her nerveless fingers. A pile of fifties spilled onto the counter. Katie had never seen that much money at one time in her entire life.

  Lucas pushed a small white square towards her. “The lady left her card and asked to be informed if the artist were ever to have a showing.”

  “All that money…” Katie shook her head slowly in disbelief, totally at a loss for words.

  Lucas laughed and scooped her off her seat and swung her around in a tight circle. “Katie, this is your dream come true. This proves that you’re a real artist and can make a living doing what you love.” Lucas continued to twirl her about until she was dizzy.

  “But, I don’t want to leave here.” Taking a quick, surveying glance around the coffee shop and then back to Lucas, she suddenly felt a little sadness mixed with her joy. She clung to Lucas’s strong shoulders for support. Her head was spinning and he was the grounding for her world.

&
nbsp; Gently, he lowered her feet to the floor and steadied her with his strong, capable hands. His ice-blue eyes never left hers as he sought to reassure her. “You don’t have to leave. At least not right away.” He placed his finger over her mouth before she could protest. “You owe it to yourself to try. I want you to be happy, and if you’re honest with yourself, this is what you’ve always wanted. This is why you’ve taken art classes at night since you were sixteen.”

  Katie nodded, unable to be anything but honest with Lucas. “I know,” she whispered.

  “Think about it. We’ll talk more in a few days.” He guided her back to her stool and, when she was seated, handed her the fork she had discarded earlier. “Now eat your pie and get back to work.”

  Katie dutifully ate the pie, but for once tasted nothing. It could have been sawdust she chewed instead of warm, sweet cherries and flaky pastry. Her gaze never left the pile of fifty-dollar bills that still lay on the counter. Her mind whirled with the possibilities. She could buy a lot of art supplies with that kind of money. For once, she had the money to try her hand at painting some really large canvases. Or maybe, she could actually go on a trip. A real vacation. She’d never been out of the city before and she longed to paint the countryside or the seashore.

  The possibilities were limitless, but knowing her, she’d probably put most of it in the bank, and talk herself out of spending any of it. Well, she assured herself, she could probably talk herself into spending a few hundred bucks of it at the art supply store. It was an investment. Sort of.

  Later that evening, Katie turned up the collar of her coat as she turned the key in the front door of Coffee Breaks. The wind had a bite to it on this cold February evening and Katie had stayed at the shop far later than she’d intended. Lucas would be angry with her if he knew she’d stayed this late. It had taken her much longer than usual to do her normal closing routine. Her mind had wandered to her painting and her sudden windfall, and somehow several hours had slipped by. It was only eight in the evening, but this time of year it was dark.

  Pulling on the door to reassure herself that it was locked, Katie then dumped her keys in the pocket of her long, purple wool jacket and started walking briskly down the sidewalk. She tugged her scarf tighter around her neck, shifted her beat-up brown leather backpack to her right shoulder and then shoved her hands in her pockets for warmth. Cursing herself for forgetting her gloves this morning, she scanned the sidewalk as she went.

  She wrapped her hand protectively around the envelope in her pocket as she scanned the sidewalk nervously. Katie scolded herself for not going to the bank earlier, but she’d been too dazed to think straight. And there was no way she was stopping at night to deposit this large a sum of money. First thing in the morning, she assured herself, it was straight to the bank on her way to work. In the meantime, the money would just have to be safe with her for one night.

  Coffee Breaks was on the edge of a busy business district and was surrounded by much larger and taller office buildings. In comparison to its neighbors, it was housed in a relic from a bygone era, a three-story brick building that was slightly worn at the edges. The landlord did little to upkeep the building, but Lucas had repaired the area around the front of the shop. The sidewalk in front was always kept swept and, in the summer, tubs of bright flowers welcomed people inside. There were several apartments on each of the other two floors. The location was excellent and the rent was affordable.

  Traffic was brisk, but there was no one else walking the street as she strode farther from the shop and closer to her apartment. Living only fifteen minutes of a walk from work was a bonus in the city and she saved quite a bit of money by walking. The business district gave way to an older residential area. The buildings were mostly brick, much of it chipped and crumbling, and no more than five or six stories high. A little worse for wear, but still affordable for those on a low income or pension.

  It was really a small community within the larger city. In the summer, the sounds and smells of people cooking and living filled the air. Elderly men and women sat on balconies and front steps and chatted while children played on the sidewalks and in the empty lots around the neighborhood.

  This time of year, everyone was inside and the street was unusually quiet. The buildings cast a menacing shadow onto the street and their lights were like eyes, watching her every step. Katie had always felt safe, but tonight she felt nervous. It was all that money, practically burning a hole in her pocket. It had to be. She’d walked this route for years, but tonight she wished she taken a cab.

  “There’s nothing to be afraid of,” she muttered to herself even as she gripped her keys in her right hand and slowly withdrew them from her pocket. Scanning back and forth with her eyes, she kept walking briskly towards the next corner. Her leather hiking boots measured her steps as she strode down the sidewalk, their soles making a comforting thumping sound. Katie knew of people who’d gotten mugged in this part of town. It didn’t happen often, but it did happen, especially at night. She stood tall and squared her shoulders. She would be no easy target.

  A shuffling noise behind her made her stop and spin around. “Who’s there?” she demanded. Her heart pounded as she balanced herself on her toes, ready to fight or run. A soft woof and the padding of feet answered her. Katie felt her tense muscles begin to relax until she saw the apparition rocketing out of the dark.

  It was a dog. But not like any other she’d ever seen. It was huge and coming right for her with its mouth open and its tongue hanging out. Katie froze to the spot, not wanting to provoke any aggression. “Nice doggy,” she soothed. “Don’t eat me.”

  The large predator continued to charge straight for her, and Katie braced herself for attack. At the last moment, the huge animal skidded to a stop in front of her, planted its behind on the sidewalk, and held up its right front paw. Katie eyed the beast warily, but he continued to sit patiently with his paw raised.

  Gingerly, she reached out and gave it one quick tug. “Pleased to meet you.” Realizing what she’d just done, she groaned. “Now I’m talking to a dog.”

  Pleased with her response, the animal thrust his head under her hand and whined. Katie smiled in spite of herself, slipping her keys back in her pocket so she could rub his fur with both hands. “You’re just a big baby, aren’t you?” she crooned softly.

  The dog whined and tilted his head to one side so she could scratch him there. Katie gave herself up to the pleasure of petting the gentle creature. This was no stray dog by any means. The dog was obviously well-fed, well-groomed, and well-behaved. Peering closely at his collar, she saw a tag. As she started to reach for it, the animal pulled away and started trotting down the sidewalk. When he was a few steps away from her, he turned and waited.

  Katie laughed. “Going to walk me home, are you?” The dog woofed in response.

  Checking her pocket to make sure the precious white envelope was still tucked safely away, she continued down the sidewalk. Her early nervousness had vanished with the arrival of this new friend. “So you’re going to be mysterious and not let me know your name.” The dog trotted beside her, his tail wagging happily behind him, unconcerned by her pronouncement.

  Katie got a better view of him as they reached a well-lit intersection. If she wasn’t mistaken this was some kind of wolfhound. Big and gray and very regal-looking. They crossed the street and Katie was relieved to see her building in the distance.

  The old five-story relic might not be up to many people’s standards, but it was sturdily built and fairly well-maintained. The brick had faded over time and was a washed-out pink, rather than red. The fire escape served as a patio and the elevator rarely worked. But the warm light shining from the windows was comforting as she hurried closer. This was the home she’d shared with her grandmother since her mother had left her there when Katie was only four. Now that her grandmother was gone, it was her home. This was where she belonged.

  The dog kept pace with her as she quickened her step and sped towards h
ome. She could see her breath as she hurried along and longed for the heat and comfort of her apartment. Safety was only a few steps away. Instinctively, her left hand clutched the envelope in her pocket even tighter. The loud crinkling noise sounded unusually loud to Katie and she forced her hand to relax its death grip on the money.

  A car slowed down as it neared her, and Katie automatically moved to the middle of the sidewalk and away from the curb. She pulled her keys from her pocket and wielded them like a weapon. The dog silently slid to her left side, so it was between her and the vehicle. A low growl rumbled from the animal as it bared its teeth at the driver. The car sped up and quickly disappeared down the street. Katie stared at the dog in disbelief as he looked at her with a doggy grin on his face and his tongue hanging out. “Well, aren’t you full of surprises!”

  Katie felt nothing but relief as she climbed the slightly crumbling stone steps to her building and unlocked the door to the lobby. “Come on in,” she invited the dog as she held the door open. “You can’t stay out all night in this cold.” The dog sat on the sidewalk in front of the building, in no hurry to go anywhere. Katie tried to coax him inside, but once again he ignored her efforts.

  Suddenly, the dog’s ears perked up and Katie heard a soft whistle. The dog immediately turned away and loped across the street and into the shadows. As she watched him disappear into the darkness, the feeling of being watched returned full force to Katie.

  Quickly, she slammed the door to the building and looked out from the relative safety of the lobby. A huge shadow detached itself from the side of the building and moved away down the sidewalk and Katie watched in silence as the dog trotted happily beside it.

  The moment they were swallowed up by the night, Katie became aware of her own vulnerability. Standing in the lobby, she was spotlighted for one and all to see. Gripping the envelope in one hand and her keys in the other, she raced up three flights of stairs and down the hall to her apartment.