Chapter 5

"Heather! You're going to be late!"

"Oh relax. I don't have to be there until 9 - it's only 7:30." JC thought about reminding his sister that traffic was a bitch in LA - and it wasn't like she could rely on a subway to get her to work, like in New York - but he held his tongue as his sister finally walked into the kitchen. With it being her first day at her new job, she was dressed to impress in a black pencil skirt, white blouse and red belt to match her heels. Her hair was thrown back in a messy bun, which looked casual and professional all at once. He could tell, though, from her bloodshot eyes and slow walk that she had probably overindulged in alcohol the night before.

"You look like you had a lot of fun last night," he told her, amusement in his voice. While she'd managed to cover her hangover well, JC could still tell she didn't feel great. Heather gave him the finger as she grabbed a large travel mug from the cupboard and filled it with the rest of the pot of coffee JC had made.

"Oh, by the way, Addison's car is still here." JC looked up at Heather from his phone and raised his eyebrows. At least he knew whose car had been sitting in his driveway the day before, but why was it still there? Was Addison around? "She and Grace caught a cab home. We were all too drunk to drive. Oh, and my car's still at the restaurant, so I need to borrow the BMW."

"That cab must've cost a fortune," JC muttered under his breath. He wasn't sure exactly where Grace and Addison lived, but he knew it was nowhere near where he lived. "One, why didn't you wake me up? I would've driven them home. And two, you're not driving that car - you can drive the Jeep." She narrowed her eyes at him as she dumped what looked like half the sugar container in her mug.

"One, we were drunk - which means, we weren't thinking clearly. Taxi seemed like the best option in our wasted state of mind. And two, I am not driving that thing Josh. It's ancient." Heather had never been a fan of Jeeps, a fact she'd been clear on since JC had bought his first Jeep years before. He knew it would drive her crazy to drive it, but she was out of her mind if she thought he'd let her drive the new car to work on her first real day in LA traffic.

"It's not ancient - it's an '03 and looks brand new. It's just for one day, and I'll take you to get your car when you get off work." She gave him one last, hard glare as she shoved the lid onto the mug, nearly tipping over the cup in the process. "So, is Addison coming to get her car today?" JC asked, trying to keep his voice even so Heather wouldn't notice the interest he had in the situation. Heather, still clearly irritated, simply nodded.

"She's supposed to be, yeah. Probably after we all get off work. If I'm not here when she swings by, be nice and not a smart ass about it, OK?" JC gave a non-commital shrug as Heather gathered her things and headed for the front door. "Now, are you gonna give me the keys to that POS or not?"

"Oh come on sis. You're going to hurt the Jeep's feelings." JC tried to wipe the amused grin off his face as he went to the bowl he had designated as his key holder, digging around for the set of keys to his Jeep. He tossed Heather the keys as she walked past him to the front door, huffing.

"If I come back without it, I ditched it on the side of the road," she called to him as she opened the door.

"And your job will be looking for a replacement tomorrow if you do. Good luck!" he yelled after her before the door clicked shut. JC chuckled as he turned his attention back to his phone, checking e-mails and his schedule. He had a lot going on that week and needed to be sure he was on top of things. And, now that he knew Addison was probably coming by again, he wanted to make sure he was around. You know, just to say hi.

After checking his schedule and e-mails, JC decided to do some small things around the house. His housekeeper only came three times a week, so it was up to him to catch the slack in between. He did some laundry, arranged for dry-cleaning, did the dishes and straightened up his office, then made some phone calls regarding production schedules. He felt rather accomplished by the time 10am came knocking on his door, but he could feel himself dragging. Deciding he needed more coffee, he headed back to the kitchen to replace the pot his sister had jacked. As he was rinsing the pot out, he heard the front door open.

"Rise and shine cupcake!" JC groaned as his overly morning person of an assistant, Chase Myers, announced his arrival from the front door.

"In here," JC called from the kitchen as the coffee began brewing. Chase appeared in seconds, a box in one hand and his messenger bag in the other. "What's in the box?" Chase's face lit up as he set the box on the counter.

"Only the best cupcakes ever. I found this shop last night and fell in love. Have you heard of it?" JC took a look at the box, his eyes going wide at his immediate recognition.

"Um...yeah. My sister's best friend owns it." He heard Chase gasp as he turned his attention back to his coffee. Addison seriously was everywhere this morning.

"Shut up! These are incredible! If she ever brings cupcakes over, you'd better save me one." JC nodded as Chase opened the box and grabbed a cupcake, moaning in satisfaction as he took his first bite. "So, bossman, whatcha need today?"

"Actually, I need you to find me someone who can cater a party for me. I want to throw a surprise welcome party for Heather on Friday here at the house - just something small, maybe 30 guests. She's a big Mexican fan, so maybe have a local food truck cater?" Chase finished his cupcake and pulled out his notepad, jotting down notes as he leaned against the kitchen counter.

"There's one that would be perfect for this type of thing - I'll call them today. Any sort of decorations?" JC shrugged as he made his second cup of coffee for the day.

"I don't know. I've been bouncing around the idea of doing it outside, but I don't want things to be overdone. I want it simple." Chase, who was also trying to become an event planner, nodded as he wrote furiously.

"I think a low-key Hollywood glam would be awesome," Chase thought out loud, still scribbling. "Maybe do white lanterns strung up outside, rent white couches to set up around the pool, have gold accents incorporated somehow..." As Chase talked his way through a design plan, a lightbulb suddenly went off in JC's head. He remembered Addison saying the night before that she catered...what if she did the dessert for the party?

"Why didn't I think of that sooner?" he thought out loud, catching Chase's attention.

"Think of what sooner?" JC took a sip of coffee as he pointed at the cupcake box.

"Addison - the owner of that shop. I could ask her to cater the dessert. Do a cupcake tower." Chase gasped as his mouth fell open.

"I LOVE it! We could build a cupcake tower and put it under the cabana, and then..." JC let Chase continue to ramble as he thought it out. It would be perfect. Heather would be thrilled, he'd have an excuse to work with Addison and catch up with her...it was absolutely perfect. "So, should I call, or do you want to call?" Before JC knew what he was doing, he was downing his coffee and grabbing his keys.

"I'll go over there right now. You stay here and finish the design, and start making phone calls. I'll handle the cupcakes." Chase nodded, exiting the kitchen for the office. JC didn't know what was pushing him to actually drive out there - what if Addison said no? Maybe he should just send Chase...or call...but for some reason, he felt like he should do this in person. He had to. Before he could change his mind, JC headed through the back of the house and to the garage, climbing into his BMW that still had the address saved in the GPS. He took in a deep breath as he found the address and instructed the GPS to take him there.

Here goes nothing.

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"Please be here," Addison muttered under her breath as she perused the aisles of the specialty baking store. She was on a mission: find pumpkin cupcake molds for her pumpkin spice cupcakes. She had an upcoming fall wedding that requested those cupcakes, so she needed to find the molds quickly. She'd already been in the massive store 20 minutes and hadn't found them yet - but she refused help. She was on a mission, and she was going to find them herself. Eventually.

As she walked up yet another aisle, her phone chimed in her pocket. She pulled it out and paused in the middle of the aisle, reading the text that had come in.

Had a blast yesterday - thank you for coming! Hope you're not too hung over this morning!

Addison groaned, rubbing her head as it throbbed again. She, Heather and Grace had indulged in a little too much sake the night before during their post-move dinner, which had left her with an angry head that morning. Heather had offered to let her and Grace spend the night, but the thought of waking up in JC's house - and the possibility of running into him while in no makeup, last night's clothes and messy hair - was too much for her to handle, even in her drunken state. So instead, they'd paid a fortune to catch a cab home, and Addison was driving Grace's Lexus until arrangements to pick up the abandoned car could be made. She was borderline embarrassed about it, but at least the night had been fun.

Head hates me. We'll be over tonight to pick up my car. I'm glad you're on our coast now.  

Addison smiled as she pushed send, then she refocused on the task at hand. Two aisles later, she finally found what she was looking for, cheering in triumph as the pumpkin molds greeted her in a special holiday section. She picked up six cupcake pans and checked out, leaving before all the goodies in the store could tempt her. She had a busy day ahead and needed to get back to the shop. Even though she felt like hell, she still had work to do.

She fiddled with Grace's satellite radio - they'd always had different tastes in music, and Grace's love of country music was not exactly a love of Addison's - before pulling out of the parking lot and heading back to the store. She checked the time, noting she'd be a little earlier than the 11am opening. When she and Miranda had first started talking about opening their own store, Addison couldn't imagine anyone but her doing all the baking. Now that the store was taking off, she was grateful to have a talented team of bakers behind her who allowed her to run out for quick errands like this right before opening.

Addison make quick work of getting back to the store, getting back in 15 minutes and besting the 30 it took her to get from the shop to the baking store. Her mind kept going back to her car sitting in JC's driveway, but she let those thoughts go as she drove up to the store. The kitchen was buzzing when she arrived, everyone working on something. On top of running the storefront, they also had two catering orders to fill later that day.

"Did you find them?" Miranda asked as she nearly ran into Addison but instead veered around her, a tray of cupcakes in her hand.

"I did!" she called after Miranda, who had disappeared into the storefront from the kitchen. She quickly jumped in and started helping where she was needed, grabbing a black apron before starting on icings and batters. She was itching to take a crack at the pumpkin spice cupcake again - she felt like the spices were off - but that could wait. She focused on making the pink icing for a Barbie cupcake order she was filling, wanting to make sure she got it just right. As she was beginning to ice the birthday cake cupcakes, Brandy walked up to her, a shocked look on her face.

"Um...JC Chasez just walked in. He's asking for you." Addison felt the color drain from her face as she set the icing bag down slowly.

"Is he alone?" she asked quickly, wiping her hands on her apron. She suddenly felt self-conscious, realizing her hair was probably a mess and that she smelled like batter. Brandy simply nodded, clearly too starstruck to say anything. Addison nodded back as she slipped out of her apron and hung it back up before walking to the kitchen door. She could see JC through the tiny window in the door, sitting at a back corner table and looking outside. She smoothed her hair, knowing it probably didn't do any good, before taking in a deep breath and walking into the store. She could feel the eyes of her staff and Miranda on her as she walked quickly to where JC was seated.

He looked up at her just as she made it to the table, a smile crossing his face. "Hey Ads. Sorry to drop in like this." Addison smiled back as she took a seat across from him. She noted that he was trying to blend in, wearing a black baseball cap with jeans and a white shirt. But she could tell it was him. She'd always be able to spot him out, no matter how much time passed or how many "disguises" he wore.

"It's no problem Josh. What...what are you doing here?" He cleared his throat nervously as he leaned in, Addison catching a whiff of his cologne. God he smelled amazing.

"Well...I have a favor to ask." She raised an eyebrow as he continued. "I want to throw a party for Heather this Friday to welcome her to LA. And, a party we're having wouldn't be complete without your cupcakes. I know it's short notice, but would you mind - " Addison held up her hand.

"Say no more Josh. I got it." His grateful smile made her blush, and she fumbled to keep her brain on track. "Let me grab a notepad. Want a cupcake?"

"Did you even have to ask?" His husky chuckle made her heart race. Rather than risk talking - and sounding like a teenager whose crush had just said "Hi" to her out of the blue - she nodded and got up, heading across the empty shop to the counter to grab a notepad and red velvet cupcake.

"What is he doing here solo?" Miranda whispered quickly as Addison grabbed a cupcake from the case and slid it onto a pile of napkins.

"He wants us to cater his sister's welcome party this weekend," Addison whispered back, stealing a glance at JC. "Not sure of the deets yet, but I'll handle it. Heather is my best friend - I couldn't say no." Miranda nodded her head quickly on agreement.

"He's a celeb Addy. Even if you'd said no, I would've turned around and said yes. Word of mouth could be huge for us if we do something like this." The business side of her squealed in excitement, but the personal side felt nauseous. Doing this gig meant she'd be working side by side with him for the week - and judging by the way she'd reacted when she found out he was back in her store, feelings were still very much alive. Addison forced her feelings down as she grabbed a notepad from the back counter and headed back to where JC was seated. She sat down and slid his cupcake to him, inwardly catching her breath when he licked his lips and took a bite. She had some thoughts on what else he could bite...

Cool it Addison, she warned herself mentally as she clicked her pen. "So. What kinds of cupcakes should I bring?"

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Thirty minutes later, Addison and JC had it all worked out. They'd battled over cupcake flavors but had settled on four types: red velvet, triple chocolate ganache, Snickers and margarita. Now, JC was trying all the cupcakes out, and he was floored.

"Who the hell taught you to bake like this?!"JC exclaimed as he tasted the margarita cupcake, blown away at the tangy kick it had.

"It's a gift Chasez," Addison responded with a cocky grin, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm just that good." He took one more bite before setting it aside, not wanting to overstuff himself with cupcake.

"Well, it's an awesome gift. Heather's going to love these." JC checked the time on his watch and saw the people slowly filtering into the store. He didn't want to overstay his welcome - and risk people figuring out who he was. "So, I'll see you at 4:30 on Friday?"

"Actually, I'll see you tonight, remember? My car?" JC had totally forgotten, the cupcakes clouding his memory. "Heather said you'd be home most of the night, so is it OK if I drop by after I close out here? Around 8:30?" JC nodded as he stood up and slid his baseball cap further down on his head.

"Yeah - just call when you get here so I can open the gate. Or text." JC slid the notepad away from Addison and wrote his cell number down, then slid it back to her. "And as payment for letting your car sit in my driveway all day, you need to bring more of those margarita cupcakes. They're my new favorite." Addison smiled as she stood up and led JC to the door, holding it open so they could both walk out to his car parked in front of the store.

"I'll bring them. Heather's going to love this party Josh. Just...watch how much booze you have around. She got pretty toasted last night." JC chuckled as he unlocked his car.

"I know. She tried to cover it up this morning, but I could still tell. I hope she played it off well this morning." Addison nodded in agreement as she stood on the sidewalk and JC opened the driver's side door slowly. He knew he was stalling, not wanting the time with Addison to end. They had talked, joked, and laughed, just like old times. And, he'd enjoyed tasting those cupcakes - they were awesome. He wanted to hang out with her more, get back into her life...but he knew that at this point, their redeveloping friendship was too new to even ask for more time. Even if they were getting along, he knew she was going to need time to trust him again. He hoped this event would be the jumpstart to their new friendship he needed to...

Gain her trust again. Yeah. That was all. Just regain her trust.

Addison clearing her throat snapped JC out of his thoughts. "So, I'd better get back inside. Thanks for thinking of our shop - even though we go way back, at the end of the day, you're famous and we're not. This is huge for us." JC smiled and nodded.

"I'm glad my sister's best friend is such an amazing baker. I'll see you later tonight." He lingered for a second longer before sliding quietly into his car.

"Hey Josh," Addison called, pulling him back out of the car. He thought he'd forgotten something, but Addison's sudden shift from smiling to almost sad told him otherwise. "I just have to know..." He squinted at her in confusion, not sure where she was going with this. "Was she worth it?" The last words slipped out quietly, but JC had caught them. And he definitely knew what - and who - she was talking about.

He stood frozen to the spot for a moment, unsure of how to react to her question. It was one he hadn't anticipated hearing from her. Ever. He slowly shook his head at her, knowing he was giving her the truth she deserved.

"No Addison. She wasn't. She just wasn't...you." Before he could face any more questions - or see the hurt flash across her face again - he climbed into his car and drove off. He felt like he was leaving her all over again, but this time, he looked back through the rearview mirror. He saw her standing on the sidewalk, looking after his retreating car, and it hit him hard how she must have felt, must have looked the day he didn't look back. He cursed under his breath as he forced himself to keep driving and not turn around to go get her. She wasn't his to get, and he wasn't ready to face it all. Not yet.