Candle In The Wind

Chapter Five

Building Hunting

A WEEK LATER

It was fruit season. And that meant almost everything I was delivering was some sort of apple, blueberry, raspberry, or orange dessert.

I pulled my car to a stop and parked it, double-checking the address before getting out of the car. I opened the trunk and searched for blueberry muffins under the last name of James. Once I found it I grabbed it and started making my way to the front door. I knocked on the door then waited.

My phone pinged. I automatically assumed it was Val because he was the only one I talked to, and I promised him I’d help him move into his new apartment this afternoon after I got off work. He was already texting me photos of how he started to arrange stuff and after the hours I spent making a Pinterest board for him, he didn’t follow it. It was enough to cause a headache.

Today was his day off and he was clearly determined to piss me off.

I sighed and held the box of muffins with one hand and pulled the phone from my back pocket, and instead of a text from Val it was from Callum.

My brows furrowed as the door in front of me opened.

“Hi, delivery for James.”

The older man stared at me, clearly confused. “I didn’t order anything? Where’s this from?”

I sent him a long look, but I still kept the smile on my lips. “Blueberry Lane Pastries,”

I said through clenched teeth, although…it may have looked like I was a smiling, happy employee.

“I didn’t order anything from that bakery,”

the man said.

I looked down at the address written on top of the box then took a look at his house number, I smacked my lips together. “Well, this is the correct address, and it’s already paid for.”

“I’m telling you…”

his eyes dropped to my pregnant stomach, “young lady, I didn’t order this, I swe—”

A younger girl that looked around Bailey’s age group squeezed herself through the door and smiled and offered a hand to grab the box of muffin. “Thank you so much, is the lemon bar in there?”

I quickly glanced down at the box and nodded once I spotted the lemon bar from the group of blueberry muffins. The girl grabbed the box, whispered another thank you then disappeared back into the house.

The man stared at me with his mouth open in surprise.

I smiled. “It’s a good thing you didn’t swear, have a nice day, sir.”

I sat in the truck in silence, that was my last delivery for the day, and my back was killing me already. I had no idea how I was gonna be able to help Val today. Maybe I’d just sit on the floor and point around and tell him what to do like a lazy king or something.

I started driving and the heat felt a little less unbearable because the wind helped, but I swear whenever I stopped at a red light it seemed like I made a stop in hell or a boiler room. I was honestly surprised this truck hadn’t broken down on me yet, and thank God it hadn’t.

I could fix the AC but I was waiting on buying a property before spending any of the cash on anything else. I received the first half of the payment, it was sitting nicely in my bank account, and I was looking for the perfect property to buy, and Val had been helping me with the criteria. Our text messages all week had been photos of properties, furniture, and reminding each other to stay on budget.

I pulled up to the bakery with a smile on my face.

Things were finally starting to look up, all that was left for me to do was give birth.

When I walked in Bailey pointed at a wrapped sandwich on one of the tables with a tall glass of lemonade. I grinned and went straight to the table, plopping down and draining half of the lemonade in one go, then I took a bite of the delicious sandwich that only Bailey knew how to make.

I looked at him across the room, even though the place seemed dead, Bailey was always at his station next to the register. Sometimes he fixed the muffins and cookies in the case, other times he prepared sandwiches, and occasionally, he cleaned. The point was, he was always here.

“You in school?”

I asked with a mouthful.

“Yes.”

“High school?”

“Yes.”

“Senior year?”

Another one-word answer. “Yes.”

I swallowed another bite of my sandwich. “How many customers do you get a day?”

“Ten to twenty.”

I nodded and took another bite. I rubbed my swollen belly and swallowed, before grabbing the glass of lemonade and took a sip. “How about on a good day?”

“Twenty,” he said.

I nodded. Fair enough, I knew when someone didn’t want to talk so I continued eating. The AC felt nice on my skin — it felt like I haven’t felt that kind of air in a long time. Summer was just getting started and so was the heat. I finished my sandwich and my lemonade, then pulled my phone as I allowed myself at least a twenty minute break to catch myself.

I finally opened the text from Callum.

Cal: Do you want to meet me later, anytime you’re free?

My brows furrowed, I was surprised at how casual he seemed to be with me — we were still strangers, sure, soon I was going to be pushing a baby out and shoving it in his chest, but we were still strangers as of right now.

I started typing back.

Juliette: I can’t today.

Cal: When are you free?

Juliette: Maybe…tomorrow morning?

Cal: I want more than thirty minutes of your time.

My lips parted as a light gasp escaped my vocal cords.

I closed my phone and grabbed my keys and my purse as I stood up with a hand on my back for support. “Thank you for the sandwich, tell Marshall I said thanks too,”

I said as I opened the front door and surprisingly a customer pulled the door open as well. My brows flew up as I smiled at them, and I’m sure that must’ve looked alarming. I allowed them to pass through the door as I held the door for them and locked eyes with Bailey. I wiggled my brows and grinned.

As usual, Bailey rolled his eyes.

I made it to Val’s house by the time it was four o’clock, and because he knew me so well, he already brought food from Molly’s, so I wasn’t complaining much as I sat on a pillow on the floor watching him struggle to choose one out of three bed frames. I paid him no mind because I already voted on what I wanted, besides, the ribs I was devouring had all my attention.

I was also busy fighting my own indecisiveness. Mine was a lot easier. I managed to bring all my options down to two properties only.

One of the places was for sale near the plaza Blueberry Lane was in. It was the heart of the plaza, very spacious, with two rooms that could be turned into a family bathroom, a storage room to store stuff, and a very spacious back room. I could easily sell coffee and a few pastries too. I didn’t like the structure of it very much but it looked like a place that would be a great fixer-upper. I would just need to invest in it, then it would be all mine.

The other land was a rental, it didn’t need any remodeling, but it wasn’t part of a plaza either. It was secluded, but not too far away. I could afford both, but I’d spent way more on one than the other.

I licked my fingers then wiped them before touching the screen of my iPad. I switched apps and went to Pinterest. I was tired of watching Val struggle for all the wrong reasons.

“The black frame is the only thing that makes sense, Val,”

I said as he turned to look at me, “have you been paying attention to the theme at all?”

“I know,”

he sighed, “but this is cherry oak wood…”

I sent him a long look.

He quickly nodded. “You’re right, you’re right.”

“Pull yourself together, Valerian.”

When he nodded and ordered the black bedframe from IKEA, I switched apps again and this time I wiped both of my hands and started typing out an email to the owner of the building.

By the time the sun had set, I helped Val order half of the furniture he truly needed from IKEA and started to help him envision where the pieces would look best, and he started blabbing about me being more than welcome to move in with him. I rolled my eyes and pushed his head away the second he started talking about that.

“I’m serious, Jules.”

I shook my head. “I think the idea is stupid because I know you’re serious.”

“Why not?”

“Well…”

I choked on my own words as I tried to speak but I couldn’t exactly tell Val that I wasn’t moving in with him because I didn’t want to drag him into my mess. As far as I was aware, I was safe…for now…but I didn’t know how long that would last. I didn’t want to force him to pack up and leave the next time I had to.

Now that I decided to invest in a shop in town, I started to welcome the idea that I could settle here for good. I was only starting to welcome that idea because I was okay to just leave anytime and start over again. I couldn’t tell Val anything about my past and ask him to stick by my side still.

“A man needs his own privacy.”

I finished my sentence and took the coward’s way out.

I am a coward.

He stared at me with a puzzled look before bursting out into laughter. “That is some bullshit, Jules.”

He shook his head with a charming smile. “Bullshit of the year.”

I pushed his shoulder. “Shut up, I’m being serious, Val.”

He turned to look at me after I pushed him away. “So am I, Jules.”

Eventually his laugh died down to a chuckle, then he pouted. “I know what it is, you finally got your paycheck, you don’t need me anymore, that’s it right?”

he asked as he fake cried.

I grimaced. “Val.”

“I know, I’m only kidding, Jules. I just want you to know you’re always welcomed here, no matter what,”

he said as he stared into my eyes—I softened because Val is all I’ve ever had. The universe rewarded me with him after every terrible thing I’ve endured.

I nodded, chewing on my lips as I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him down into a hug.

“Thank you,”

I whispered, “for everything.”

He held me back as I hugged him.

“I think I found a place,”

I whispered.

“What?!”

He squeezed my shoulders in excitement.

I laughed. “Yeah, there’s an empty place in the plaza where I work at, it’s literally the heart of the place. I see potential.”

“Then that’s enough for me. I’m proud of you, Jules.”

I smiled as my face heated up. “Thank you.”