Worth The Risk: A Silverthorne Is For Lovers Novel

Rhett

I’m barely moving as I walk on the sidewalk to Winnie’s bakery. I probably don’t need to be there right at open but I told her I would be. I only stayed at the bar with Colt last night until I finished my beer. And it wasn’t a lie when I told him I was running on fumes. My day caught up to me like a ton of bricks. I said goodnight to Georgia and Lucy, much to Lucy’s dismay and passed out in my hotel room. Hard.

Town is quiet and peaceful this morning. I actually like this time of day just not when I’ve not driven across the country the day before. This is my favorite time to go for a run. Well, starting about four months ago when I was cleared for exercise, it’s more of a jog. I’m more limited physically than I even have been. Sure, I’ll still be on the ice with my team and I’ll be mountain biking on the weekends, but now I’ll be paying for it in ice baths and elevation.

I step into Thistle and Sage and am greeted by the smell of cinnamon and fresh bread and Anna.

“Good morning! You’re up early.” Anna is smiling at me from her spot behind the counter.

“I am, I heard if I wanted to get the good stuff, I had to be here early.”

“That is absolutely true. Winslow has just got the front fully stocked, what can I get for you?”

“Well let’s see, my mom says the cinnamon rolls are the best, so can I get one of those and also a cup of coffee?”

“Coming right up!” She busies herself with getting my pastry and coffee and I take the time to look around the little shop, wondering if I’m going to get the chance to see Winnie this morning. I made sure to be the first one here before they have their rush, hoping to say hello. “Did you want to eat this here or do you want me to put it in a box to go?”

“I’ll eat it here, thanks Anna.”

“Yep. Here ya go. Let me know if you need anything else.”

“Uh…Is Winnie busy this morning?” She smirks.

“Winnie is always busy, but I can check to see if she has a minute if you want.” I give her a wink.

“I’d appreciate that.” She only blushes a little at that. I sit down at a table in the corner and dig into this amazing smelling cinnamon roll while I wait. There’s a clatter in the back, then I hear Winnie curse, I can’t help but chuckle. I’ve always known she was beautiful, but yesterday when I saw her, in her own bakery, living out her dream I was hit with it all over again. Feelings I’ve buried for a long time bubbled up to the surface and I forgot why I haven’t acted on them for a few minutes. Then Colt called and there was one reason.

“Hey, Rhett.” Winnie breaks through my thoughts with her greeting. “What on earth are you doing up and here so early on a Saturday morning?” I take her in. She looks sleepy and adorable. The side of her face is a tiny bit red and swollen. “I’m assuming you were out late last night.” She says it in an light but accusing tone.

“Well I was told that getting here early was necessary if I wanted one of these.” I hold up the last few bites of the cinnamon roll I just devoured. “....and I went back to the hotel shortly after you tripped on the entry rug.” I throw out and fight my smile when I picture it. She relaxes slightly, her tense shoulders lowering the slightest bit.

“Saw that did you? I figured you were a little too busy to notice me with your date sitting next to you.” There’s a small level of snark detected if I’m not mistaken.

“I don’t think anyone missed it, Winnie. You tend to attract some attention.” Her cheeks pink at my words. “And she wasn’t my date. I had only just met her when you got there last night. Colt invited them there.” That seems to put her at ease and I think I like seeing her a little jealous.

“I think you had another hour before that would have been a worry about long lines, but I really appreciate you coming in so early.”

“This cinnamon roll was more than worth it.” I wink and take another sip of my coffee. She sighs.

“Can I tell you something?”

“Anything.” Well that didn’t sound desperate. She smiles softly.

“I kind of keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.” She says quietly.

“What do you mean? From what I hear, you’re killing it.” That earns me a wide smile.

“I guess I just worry that this won’t last and eventually people will stop coming.” Her admission takes me by surprise, not only that she thinks that way but that she would confide in me. She hasn’t talked to me like this in years. I’ve always wanted to know what was going on in her head. I clear my throat.

“You’re one of the best people I know, Winnie.” She blushes at my words. “There’s a reason everyone in this town turns out every day of the week. As amazing as they are, I know for a fact it’s not just for the cinnamon rolls or any other baked goods.” She averts her gaze.

“Thank you for saying that, Rhett.” I laugh.

“I’m not just saying it, it’s the truth. You’ve had everyone we know wrapped around your pretty little finger since you came to town.” She rolls her eyes but takes the compliment. Then she meets my gaze.

“The whole town huh?” It’s a loaded question. One I’m surprised she doesn’t already know the answer to. It’s also one I feel like she wouldn’t ask if she was with someone.

“I don’t know a single person that wouldn’t do anything for you.” My statement hangs between us feeding into the tension we’ve let build. I think maybe it’s getting too intense for our first conversation alone in years so I add, “I can’t go a block without someone telling me how sweet you are. I’m sure Colt has had to give dirty looks to any guy that looks in your direction.” It’s a cowardly way to ask, but I have to know if she’s seeing anyone, who it is, and if it’s serious. She laughs outright.

“Oh, you have no idea.” Her response gets under my skin and I clear my throat before I ask…

“Anyone serious?” She just looks at me for a handful of seconds before sighing and giving me an answer.

“Mm no. Not as of last night anyway. It didn’t really work out with my boyfriend.” She half laughs. “We broke up last night.”

“That’s too bad.” I’m barely containing my relief at this news. On occasion mom or Colt has mentioned she’s on a date or out with a boyfriend and I always find myself relieved when I hear it ended. They wouldn’t deserve her anyway. She’s special. I’ve known this since I was 15 and mom brought her over to make cookies. Instead of getting sucked into the memory I focus on what she’s saying now.

“Eh, it’s fine.” she waves it off. “I think I need to just be single for a while anyway. Mare thinks I need to try casual dating,” She scoffs. “I’m not sure I’ve ever done that.”

My heart sinks into my stomach. Casual and Winnie do not sound like a combination I’m okay with…she keeps going. “I’ve always been such a relationship girl. Maybe that’s the problem. I guess we’ll see.” She stands and I can see my time with her dwindling so I rush to put my two cents in.

“There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be in a relationship.” she huffs a little laugh.

“This coming from you? The serial dater? The ‘hockey heartthrob” I”ve seen so much about? I’m surprised that’s your opinion.” Yeah I’m not sure why I thought she would take my advice on this subject. Even though I haven’t been that guy in years, it’s hard to live down a reputation like that. I cringe.

“That was a while ago, Winnie and you can’t believe everything you see in articles and on TV.” I’m not sure why, but it matters to me that she knows I’m not doing that and haven’t been for quite some time.

“Alright, that’s true,” she says as she takes a couple steps back but I can’t tell if she is accepting what I’ve said. “Thanks again for coming in, Rhett. Support from the new hockey coach is very appreciated.” She winks and my heartbeat instantly picks up. Does she know how truly captivating she is?

“You know I’ll always support you, Winnie.” Her face turns more serious.

“I do know that. Your family has always been there for me and Colt. I’ll always be thankful for it. See you around.” She’s walking through the door that hit her last night and back through the one to my heart. Distracted by that thought, I almost miss the ink on the back of her neck as she slips away. I hadn’t noticed it last night.

“See you soon, Winnie,” I say into my coffee cup then proceed to buy a danish, cinnamon swirl muffin, and another cinnamon roll because I can’t decide on just one. I walk back to the hotel to shower and take a nap before I have to leave for lunch at mom and dads.

I slide the keycard into the door and walk inside. I strip my sweatpants and hoodie and turn the shower on. I’m still thinking about that casual comment she made when referring to dating as I step under the spray. I’m not sure I have a right to feel any type of way about that, but I do. Winnie deserves a man who worships the ground she walks on, even if it’s not me. I want it to be me.

The one summer I had with her will definitely never be enough. I wanted more then, but she was set on us ending when I started my first year in the NHL that fall. We still talked, I wasn’t capable of cutting off communication with her. I called her after practice, and we would watch a movie. Afterwards she would analyze all the characters and I would listen to each one. It was her favorite way to watch a movie and so it became mine.

That only went on for so long before she got busy with something or hockey season picked up and I got busy with that. She made it to games with my family but I could tell she was putting distance between us. I was too prideful to ask her. Women were throwing themselves at me weekly. I was annoyed that she wasn’t also. Ah, I had so much growing up to do.

One summer I came home on a break and Colt told me she was busy. She was busy a lot that summer and continued to be on most of my visits. I didn’t ask Colt too many questions because I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea…or the right one more like, but I asked my mom about Winnie every chance I got. She directed me to go to the source if I had questions about Winnie’s life. That didn’t feel like something I could do at the time. But now? Now I really just wanted to talk to her.

I think back to Winnie’s comment about me being a serial dater and she’s not really wrong. I dated a lot over the years. I had one relationship that lasted six months. She came to every game and seemed like the most supportive girlfriend. I remember her being bothered by my friendship with Winnie. Thankfully I realized she wasn’t the one and broke things off with her, but she still tried to come around. Kept coming to games and even told a hospital once after we hadn’t been together for months that I was her boyfriend.

I felt bad for her until it turned out she was more attracted to just being with an NHL player and it didn’t really matter which one. I caught her making out with a guy from an opposing team after being dragged to a bar by my teammates to celebrate a win. I only wish I hadn’t wasted so much time on her. After that, I decided I wanted to keep my focus on hockey. No relationships. Talking with Winnie has really made me rethink a lot of the decisions I’ve made.

I get out of the shower and check the time, lunch isn’t until 11:30 and it’s only 6:30 now. I lay down letting myself relax and realize I’m even more tired than I thought. So, I set my alarm and let myself drift off thinking about Winnie and her dark hair barely contained with that clip this morning, the tattoo I spotted on the back of her neck, the way she bit her full lower lip, and the bit of flour on her forehead.