Grounding the Baker (Heartwood Knights #1)

Chapter 1

ONE

AUSTIN

“Happy birthday, you old fart!”

Austin laughed at the greeting from Tony, who was sitting at the table with his other childhood friends, Gerard, Nathan, and Michael. It was strange being back in Heartwood after more than two decades. He’d visited over the years, but never thought he’d live here again.

“Happy New Year, you even older fart!” he replied.

This caused them all to laugh. Well, not Nathan, he wasn’t the laughing type, but he smiled in his awkward way, which Austin was happy to see. Nathan might be a gentle giant, but he had the biggest heart of anyone Austin had ever met.

Everyone got up for hugs, as if they hadn’t seen him for years.

It was partly true. He’d only been back in Heartwood a few days and was still busy unpacking.

He saw them each at least once a year, but it was rare that they were all together.

In fact, when was the last time they’d been together as a group?

Then he remembered. It was the day of Ellie’s funeral.

There had been no question all these guys would be there.

They might have all left this village in the arse end of nowhere as soon as they could, but somehow they’d all ended up back here.

The exception was Michael, who had never left. Heartwood was in his DNA.

“What do you want to drink?” asked Gerard, a giant bear of a man who had his husband, Kevin, wrapped around his little finger.

“Just a Diet Coke,” said Austin.

“A what?” spluttered Tony, as if he’d just committed a mortal sin.

“I’ve got to get back for Maisie. I can’t be getting day drunk.”

It was true. His eight-year-old daughter was his entire world.

One advantage of being back here was that he wasn’t short of babysitters, but he didn’t want to take the piss.

Being a single dad for the last year had been a challenge whilst also running a business.

He’d had friends nearby but he’d still felt lonely and not in the right place to raise his daughter.

Austin had wanted her to be surrounded by a community, like he’d had growing up.

His own parents were long gone, and Ellie’s had emigrated overseas.

They’d fully supported Austin’s decision to move back to his hometown.

Gerard went off to sort the drinks. He owned the Stag and Lantern with his husband, Kevin, who was the chef. Gerard ran the front of house, but was either on a break or not working today, because he was back in a few seconds saying their drinks would be here soon.

The place was the epitome of an English country pub and was hugely popular, not just with villagers but with visitors who came from all over the country.

Getting a table on Sunday was impossible as Kevin’s roast dinners were legendary.

Austin had brought Ellie a few times, just to eat here and drive back home afterward, which had taken hours.

The food was worth it. The pub had the perfect cosy feel to it, with a roaring fire, beams across the ceiling, and heavy oak tables.

There was a lounge area – for drinking and a few bar snacks – but it was smaller than the restaurant, which was where they did most of their business.

The Christmas decorations were still up, but Gerard had fairy lights up all year round.

There were a few nods to the Pride flag too.

It was subtle, and made it clear this was an inclusive place, and everybody was welcome provided they weren’t an arsehole.

Gerard might be an old softy, but he was six feet three and built like a rugby player.

He would only need to glare at someone and they’d quieten immediately.

“How does it feel to join us in the Forty Club?” asked Michael.

“No different from yesterday, to be honest.”

Austin was the last of his friend group to hit the milestone.

They’d all been at the local primary school together before going to different high schools in neighbouring towns.

Austin had attended the same high school as Gerard and Nathan, but the five of them had still hung out after school right up until they’d left for university.

“I still can’t believe you’re back here,” said Michael.

“Why not? It was your idea.”

Michael had suggested it when Austin had been honest about how he was feeling.

The house and town they were living in reminded him of Ellie all the time, and he needed to move forward, not live in the past. Austin had said he’d think about it, yet within an hour he’d been sent photos of a gorgeous cottage that was for sale.

It was close to the primary school and the village centre.

On a whim, he’d left Maisie with friends and visited Michael for the weekend, taking time to view the cottage, and by Monday morning he was back at work and putting an offer in.

That had been in September. The people he’d bought from had wanted the sale completed by the end of the year.

He’d had one final Christmas with Maisie in their old home, and the day after Boxing Day, the removal men were packing up their lives.

Thankfully, Maisie loved her new bedroom and was looking forward to getting started at her new school.

It was Austin who was shitting himself about how she was going to settle in.

“Have you completed the paperwork I sent you?” asked Michael.

“Yes. I’ll email it over later. You said you can file it tomorrow, didn’t you?”

Michael nodded. “It’ll take about a month, but I’ll push it through as quick as I can.”

“It’s fine. I’ve got the design work to tide me over, and nobody’s going to want their gardens done until spring.”

“You’d be surprised, so the sooner we can get those permits sorted, the better. Already having an established business makes the whole thing a lot easier than starting from scratch.”

“That’s what I’m doing, though, isn’t it?”

“It’ll be fine, man with your skills. Besides, you’ve got the whole sexy lumberjack vibe going on. All the divorced and widowed women with their enormous gardens will want a piece of you.”

Austin snorted. That was the last thing he wanted.

In Suffolk, he’d had a very successful landscape gardening business.

He’d passed his clients on to one of his loyal employees who was going to make a go of it himself.

When Ellie had gotten sick, he’d scaled things back so he could be at home more.

Cancer had taken her in less than six months, and over the last year he’d not been able to get the business back to how it was.

He’d picked up design work on the side—as he’d taught himself so he could do his own—and it gave him a steady income, but it wasn’t what he loved.

“What are you two talking about?” asked Tony.

“Business,” said Michael.

“For fuck’s sake. Have a day off. It’s New Year’s Day. When was the last time we were all together that wasn’t for a wedding or a funeral?”

Michael visibly winced and glanced at Austin, who shook his head with a smile. Tony was blunt and to the point, but he’d never intentionally hurt anyone. In fact, if anyone hurt someone he cared about, that person would need to run.

Tony lived in London in a multimillion-pound penthouse on the River Thames and had a second home here.

Not liking any of the properties for sale, he’d bought land and built his own home away from home.

He would come up and visit at least once a month, but otherwise it was empty.

He had someone go in and air it out regularly, though.

The guy earned seven figures a year, and Austin wondered where he got all his energy from.

He was the definition of work hard, play hard.

The latter being literal: Tony was a slut!

“When did you last get laid, Austin?” asked Tony, throwing an arm around his shoulder.

“Tony!” Michael scolded.

“What? I just wanted to know if there’d been anyone since that bird in the summer?”

“What?!” said Gerard and Michael together.

“Why do I tell you anything?” Austin grumbled, feeling his face heat.

He glanced at the others, who looked shocked. Nathan had said nothing, but couldn’t hide his surprise either.

“It was a one-night thing over the summer. I just thought it would be good to see what dating would feel like. We met for dinner, and she was forward, so I just went with it.”

“And how was it?” asked Gerard.

The guy might be happily married, but he was a tart for any salacious gossip.

“It was fine.”

“Ouch,” said Gerard. “If Kevin used that word with me, he’d be sleeping on the street.”

They all laughed.

“You know me. I’m not really a casual guy. I’ve never been like that.”

“Excuse me?” said Tony. “I seem to remember your bisexual exploration at uni being very casual.”

Austin chuckled. That was fair. He had experimented a lot when he’d left home, and knew he liked guys as much as he did girls.

It had been a fun few years at university, but then he’d spent his twenties in relationships and didn’t do casual sex.

He found he enjoyed it more when he had feelings for someone.

He’d been in a relationship with a guy and two women before he’d met Ellie when he was twenty-eight. The rest was history.

“I think it’s too soon for a new relationship,” said Austin.

“Who said anything about a relationship? Just stick your dick in someone.”

Austin snorted. Michael glared. Gerard was fighting not to laugh, and Nathan had found a beer mat to be the most interesting thing in the world.

“If I was going to get back out there, it wouldn’t be casual, Tony. You know me. We’re very different in that respect.”

“Fair,” he chuckled. “Well, if you change your mind, I know a few guys who would love to get railed by you.”

That was enough for Gerard to almost fall off his chair with laughter. Austin couldn’t help but be amused by his friend’s antics, especially with the daggers Michael was throwing at Tony.

“What?” said Tony, trying to be all innocent. “Men are easier. Less emotional about these things.”

Michael rolled his eyes and shook his head. “I think it’s just the men you fuck who have no emotions.”

“I fuck women as well,” said Tony.

“You just said there were less emotions with men.”

“Michael, you know not to let him wind you up so easily,” said Austin.

Tony had a big grin on his face when Michael scowled at him.

Those two were always bickering like an old married couple.

They’d been at the same high school and it had been the same since then.

Austin would have said they had a crush on each other, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Michael needed someone calm who could bring peace to his busy life running the village.

Tony needed someone who could keep up with his pace and not want any commitment.

Nathan was another story. He’d told them he was gay when they were teenagers.

Given his Nigerian heritage, he’d been worried about how his mother would react, but she couldn’t have been more supportive.

Austin had never known his friend to have a boyfriend in all the time they’d known each other, however, but Nathan was very private about his personal life, so there may just not have been anyone worth mentioning.

Austin shifted his seat to sit next to Nathan, leaving the other three to talk loudly over each other.

“How are you, Nathan? Not too noisy for you?”

Austin knew Nathan was oversensitive to loud noise, so he didn’t come out often. Nathan shook his head and smiled.

“I won’t be upset if you want to head off. I’m happy you’re here, but you know what those three can be like when they’ve had a few drinks.”

Nathan smiled. “I want to be here. It would have been nice to see Maisie.”

Austin beamed at him. Nathan was, by far, Masie’s favourite uncle. Nathan would always have a depth of knowledge on whatever his daughter’s latest interest was, and if he didn’t know, he’d find out.

“Why don’t you come over tomorrow and have dinner with us?” asked Austin.

Nathan smiled before nodding his head.

“I’ll make that chicken pasta thing you both like. Would you mind picking up some cakes from Sylvie’s on the way?”

Nathan frowned.

“What’s up?”

“Sylvie died.”

“What? When?”

“Over Christmas. The bakery has been closed since then. I don’t know when it will reopen.”

Austin had seen it was closed when he’d walked past on the way here, but he’d just assumed it was because it was New Year’s Day.

“Do you know what happened?” asked Austin.

He’d known Sylvie since he was a boy. She’d been friends with his mother, and Sylvie’s Slice had been the heart of the village for as long as he could remember. How could he not have known about this? But then, he’d not left his cottage until today.

“Someone said something about a heart attack,” said Nathan. His eyes darted around, like he was speaking out of turn. Nathan wasn’t a fan of gossiping, so Austin understood.

“Do you know how Martin’s doing, and what is their boy’s name?”

“Liam. And not a boy anymore. He’s nearly thirty.”

“Okay, now I do feel old.”

Nathan smiled. “I haven’t seen either of them. Liam lives in London, but he’s up here at least once a month, helping in the bakery.”

“Wow, I just remember him being yay high,” said Austin, gesturing a short height with his hand.

Nathan leaned forward. “He’s cute.”

Austin raised an eyebrow. “Have you got a crush, Nathan?” He whispered, as he didn’t want the others to hear. They’d try to “help” in a very unhelpful way.

“No.” He shook his head. “I think he’s cute for you.”

Austin was surprised, but couldn’t help his curiosity. “What do you mean?”

“When you see him, you’ll know what I mean,” he replied with a coy smile.

Austin would usually dismiss anyone saying something like that, but not Nathan.

The guy was incredibly perceptive, and would pick up on things everyone else would miss.

Despite what Austin had said to his friends earlier about relationships, he now felt this inexplicable need to meet Liam and see what sort of man he’d grown into.