“It’s good, isn’t it?” she asked quietly, referring to the red velvet cake he was sampling. “It’s Jenny’s favorite. She always asks for it on her birthday.”
“She has good taste. It’s the best I’ve tried so far. You were stocking up for Halloween tomorrow?” he asked, nodding at her bag.
“Yep.”
“Brendan’s none too pleased with me at the moment,” Eric admitted as he sunk his fork into the red velvet cake again. “I had to tell him he’s not ready to go off the crutches for another week or so. I hated to disappoint him at his appointment today.”
“He’ll get over it. You know how kids are about Halloween. He can’t think of a good costume that will include crutches, that’s all.”
She was distracted by Natalie turning the photo book toward her and asking her advice on several cake designs. By the time they were finished, Liam was looking flummoxed by all the sugary female discussion regarding cake. Eric’s eyes had grown glassy with boredom—or quite possibly from sugar shock, given all the cake he’d eaten, Colleen thought with amusement. She’d learned from Eric over the past week and a half that he jogged regularly. That must be the reason he could consume the equivalent of half a cake and maintain such a lean, muscular build.
“How complicated can it be?” Colleen heard Liam mumble to Eric as they all stood and Lily ushered them out the door. “It’s flour, sugar and eggs. You bake it. You eat it. End of story.”
“I’m glad it’s so simple from the male perspective,” Natalie said, grinning at Colleen as they lingered by the table. She glanced back at the cake book, biting her lower lip uncertainly. “Are you sure the red velvet cake and cream-cheese frosting won’t be too trendy?”
“Absolutely not,” Colleen assured her. “It’s perfect for a Christmas wedding. I’ve always thought the red velvet was Lily’s specialty. Eric voted it as the best cake, as well.”
“Wow. You and my brother agreed on something.”
“And they say miracles don’t occur,” Colleen joked.
Natalie glanced at the door. They were now alone in the back room of the bakery.
“You and Eric seem to be getting along very well. I’m so glad to see it,” she said quietly.
“He’s all right. He doesn’t have to be right one hundred percent of the time, like I used to think. It’s more like ninety percent.”
Natalie laughed. “You must be getting to him. My odds are much worse.” Colleen joined her in laughter.
“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you, Natalie,” she said as she retrieved her purse and bag.
“What?”
Colleen glanced warily toward the empty doorway. Neither Liam nor Eric were within seeing or hearing distance.
“I’ve been wondering.... Does Eric know what happened last summer?”
“You mean about Lincoln DuBois being Deidre’s biological father?” Natalie asked, suddenly solemn. Colleen nodded. “No. I haven’t told him.” Natalie shrugged, looking uneasy. “I figured it’s such a private thing to your family. It’s not my place to talk about it with others. Eric has asked Liam about his and Marc’s visits to Lake Tahoe to see Deidre, but he’s under the impression that DuBois is an old family friend of your mother’s, and that since Deidre is a nurse, she’s out there helping to take care of him. I haven’t corrected him in his understanding of the situation.”
Colleen sighed. DuBois was an old family friend of her mother’s, all right—such a good, old family friend that they’d created a child together while her mother was still married to Derry. Of course, Derry had erred, as well. The discovery of Derry’s infidelity had been why Brigit had turned to DuBois for comfort.
“You’re going to be a Kavanaugh soon,” Colleen said as she examined the belt on her coat. “And Eric is part of your family. I’d understand it if you felt the need to tell him the truth. It all relates to the crash, after all. It was the reason my dad was so upset that night…why he got so drunk. It relates to your mother’s death, and so it relates to Eric, as well. But I’d appreciate it if you didn’t get into it with him in the near future…not while we plan for the wedding, anyway.”
“Of course, Colleen,” Natalie said in a hushed tone. “I’m actually glad you brought it up. I’ve been wondering where the line is, in this situation. Eric never shared my obsession to understand the truth about what was going on with Derry on the night of the crash…to discover why your father behaved so uncharacteristically. I figured since he hadn’t been as curious as I was, I wasn’t as obligated to tell him what Liam and I found out.”
“He never thought about my dad’s motivations as much as you?”
Natalie shook her head.
“Well…there’s little doubt that when it comes to grief and trauma, every human being on the planet responds in a different way,” Colleen reflected.
“I know there’s been a history of friction between Eric and you,” Natalie said earnestly. “But I want you to know, he’s been beyond a brother to me. He’s been a parent. He would do anything for me.”
Colleen stepped forward and gave her future sister-in-law a big hug. “Believe it or not, I know. I’d have to be the hugest fool on the planet not to be able to see how much Eric cares about you.” She stepped back and gave Natalie a smile. “At one time, I would have just thought it was easy for him, you being as wonderful as you are. Now…I have to admit, some of the goodness might be on his side.”
She laughed when she saw Natalie’s concern. “I’m only kidding, Natalie. Eric deserves a medal of honor for brotherly affection. My heart has been melting in secret. I’ll deny it to the end of my days if you ever tell him, though.”
They shared a smile and went out to join the men.