JC hoped and prayed he blended in, grateful the LA air had turned chilly that morning so that wearing a hoodie, hat and jeans was the norm and not the abnormal. While being in a place as crowded as LAX – where someone was bound to recognize him before he got out of his car – was daunting for any celebrity, it was more of the crowds that got to him. He hated being around so many people, most of whom could care less if they bumped into you or cut in front of you.

He felt like an old, crotchety man. Whatever.

He scanned the massive arrival board near the terminal exit, looking for a Delta flight from New York City. He found one that showed that it had arrived deplaned, so he began scanning the crowds walking from the terminals to the main area of the airport. He spotted her before she saw him, and he smiled proudly at the sight.

There she was – his little sister, the businesswoman. She had a Coach laptop bag hanging off her shoulder, a matching Coach carry-on rolling behind her, and her black skirt suit with pink camisole and pink heels were turning heads. She’d always had a flair for the classy and expensive, that’s for sure.

As she continued to scan the crowd, JC realized he blended in a little too well. He whistled loudly and waved at her, immediately catching her attention. Her smile lit up the area as she walked over to him quickly, dropped her bags and jumped into his arms with a squeal.

“Do businesswomen squeal when they greet their brothers?” JC asked matter-of-factly as she planted a wet kiss on his cheek.

“Oh shut up you. I can’t believe I'm here! I missed you!”

“I missed you too sis,” he reciprocated as he picked up her bags and walked beside her to baggage claim. “Have a good flight?”

“I slept most of the time. It was wonderful – most sleep I’ve gotten in days.” Up close, he noticed the bags under her eyes and her tired smile, but he didn’t say anything. As an accounting guru for a major firm, she was always busy, always tired. JC decided this wasn’t the time to convince her to find a slower-paced job, so he made a note to mention it later.

“Well, you look fantastic Heather. You’ve been turning heads since you landed, I’m sure.”

“Before,” she corrected with a wink as they got to her baggage claim area. With her long legs, wavy auburn hair and green eyes, his adopted sister was a knockout, even more so now that she was in her 30s than when she was in her 20s. She enjoyed the attention, even if she wouldn’t admit it.

“Attention whore,” he muttered as the loud horn sounded to signify bags were on their way. She slapped his arm as they waited, Heather pointing out her massive suitcase as it came rolling by.

JC managed to grab it and nearly dropped it as he moved it off. “God damn Heather! What in the world did you pack, and why didn’t you bring two suitcases?!”

“Oh shut up,” she huffed, taking her laptop bag and carry-on from JC as he handled her big luggage. “It’s not that bad. It was only over by 10 pounds, so they let me by.” JC rolled his eyes as they left the area and headed to his car, chatting about random stuff. JC learned that Tyler might have found ‘The One,’ which thrilled their mother to no end. She was itching for grandkids, and neither JC nor Heather was ready for that yet. Tyler, being the baby and the one closest to home, was her only hope.

“Why won’t he just move?” JC asked as they got to his BMW and loaded everything in. Heather shrugged as they got into the silver sedan and drove off.

“He loves Mom. And Bowie. And his girlfriend lives there. And he has a good job. He might change his mind if he marries this girl though – if Mom’s already talking about babies, it’ll just get worse.” JC nodded in agreement as they hit the freeway, traffic crazy as always. “Oh! Can we make a stop before we go home? I promised Addy I ‘d see her as soon as I got here.” JC shot Heather a look as she began fiddling with his GPS.

“Addy? Who’s Addy?” She waved his question off with her hand as she scrolled through the features on his GPS. “Heather! Who’s Addy?” Before she could answer, her phone rang in her pocket, which sidetracked her for a few seconds. As she talked to her boss and found the address, JC’s mind wandered. Addy? Who the hell was Addy? Heather hadn’t mentioned having many friends in LA; she was mostly out here for business.

JC waited for Heather to get off the phone so he could pepper her with more questions, but she stayed on the phone the entire time, fiddling on her iPad and writing things down as she talked a million miles a minute. JC tuned her out and followed the GPS as it took them off the freeway, his mind still wondering who in the world they were going to go see.

As if sensing they were near, Heather wrapped her phone call with her boss as JC pulled up to a cupcake shop. It looked packed, and like it had just opened – the blue and white striped paint on the outside looked like it’d just been done, and the patio furniture outside the building looked new. JC found a parking spot in front of the store and barely got it in park before Heather flew out of the car and inside the shop. Rolling his eyes, JC followed suit at a slower pace, ignoring the eyes that were looking from him to his car and back again. As he stepped into the shop that smelled like 40 different types of sugar, he spotted Heather and her friend in the middle of the store.

“Oh my God! This place is amazing!”

“Isn’t it?! We’re doing so great here – people love us. It’s incredible…and I have you to thank for convincing me to get off my ass and open it.” JC stepped closer to the duo, still not recognizing the girl. She was cute; her curly hair was thrown up messily, and she was wearing a cupcake apron covered in flour. When she looked from Heather and spotted JC, and her baby blues locked on his, JC knew exactly who she was.

“Oh. My. God. Addison?!”
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It took Addison Porter a moment to gather her thoughts and recollect herself. She knew he lived in LA, but to see him here, in her store, after not seeing or talking to him for nearly 10 years, was a different story.

“Surprise!” Heather squealed, jumping up and down, her pink heels making clicking noises on the tile. “Now do you remember who Addy is, Josh?” Addison swallowed hard as JC walked up to them, a look of disbelief on his face. He seemed just as shocked as she was, which was good. The last person she’d expected to see was him.

“Man. How are you, Josh?” Addison refused to call him JC; she knew him as Josh, and he’d always be Josh. And right now, he was staring at her like she had three heads.

“I’m…I’m in shock. I didn’t even know you were here. How long have you been here?” Addison couldn’t tell if it was shock or regret that made JC sound the way he did, so she went on the defensive and stood up straight.

“We opened two months ago. I moved here three years ago to go to pastry school and stayed. I opened this shop with a classmate in her basement after we graduated and saved enough to open a storefront. People like us.” She was proud that things had taken off and traffic had been steady since they’d opened. It had cost a small fortune to buy the building and get things set up, but savings and help from both sets of parents helped get them here.

“This…this is incredible.” Addison allowed herself to breath briefly as she smiled, watching JC take in the scene as she took him in. She’d seen pictures of him here and there, but she hadn’t seen him in person in 10 years. He’d changed, but for the better. He wasn’t this lanky, skinny kid anymore; he had some meat on his bones, and he looked incredible. His hair was short, eyes still fierce and face still sexy.

Damn Heather for not warning her.

“I want a cupcake!” Heather announced as she walked up to the counter, scanning the selection in the two glass cases near the register. She felt JC walk up beside her as he continued to scan the place, which made Addison nervous. Why did he still make her nervous after all this time?

“So…how’ve you been?” JC asked, Heather oblivious to their interaction. Addison swallowed and nodded, feeling hot despite the coolness of the shop.

“Good. Busy. This is my baby, and it’s a lot of hard work. I love it though.” She dared to look up at him, smiling. “How are you?” He looked down at her – at 5’6”, she was pretty short – and smiled back, Addison’s heart melting on the edges. That smile still got her…she’d figured it would.

“Good. Busy too, but good. Recording again.” Addison nodded silently, her eyes still locked on his, the butterflies back in her stomach. A slow grin played on his lips as Addison willed herself to look away.

“Addy! Come help me pick a cupcake – I want them all!” Grateful for the excuse to step away, Addison acknowledged Heather’s request with a wave before turning back to JC.

“You want something? Still a red velvet cake fan?” JC smiled politely and shook his head, stepping backwards.

“Nah – I’m good. Tell Heather I’ll be waiting in the car. It was…it was good to see you Ads.” His smile lingered in her thoughts as she turned her attention back to her best friend, who was quizzing her co-owner about flavors. Addison inhaled deeply and settled her nerves before joining Heather at the counter.

Talk about a ghost from Addison’s past.
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JC kept his eyes locked on his car as he exited the shop, the cool California air calming his nerves. He refused to think until he was in the safety of his car, shutting out the world around him and focusing on what had just happened.

Addison? Here? In LA?

He was surprised Heather hadn’t mentioned it before, especially since she had known that Addison was in the area. Why wouldn’t she mention it?

Seeing her again had left him speechless for a few seconds and taken him back to that time. Their time. He wasn’t prepared to see her again, and he was even more unprepared for the feelings that stirred when those gorgeous blue eyes met his. She still looked as amazing as she did when he’d left her, but this time, the tears were gone.

God. The tears. And, time to cue the self-imposed guilt trip.

“Josh. You’ve got to get a cupcake. Don’t you want one?!” JC knew he’d regret letting Heather eat sugar this early in the morning, but she was in town and happy, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“I’ll just eat one of yours,” JC commented, his eyes shifting to the box of cupcakes Heather had in her lap. “I’m sure they’re delicious.”

Heather bit into her coconut macaroon cupcake and sighed, melting into her leather passenger seat and closing her eyes. “This is heavenly. I want to marry it and have its mini cupcake babies.” JC chuckled as he turned the car on and programmed the GPS for home. “Was everything OK in there? Things seemed a little…weird.” JC refused to look at his sister but shook his head.