CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Angela set her phone face down on the counter and returned her attention to the icing she was making to put on the cinnamon rolls.
She shouldn’t have sent the text, but they’d agreed to friendship. And in her mind, friends could share cinnamon rolls. And if friendship—and sharing cinnamon rolls—was all she could have, then she would cherish it.
Unfortunately, she wasn’t sure exactly what friendship meant to Jude. She assumed that if he wasn’t interested in what she’d offered, he’d tell her that it wasn’t a good time. Which would be fine.
Earlier in the day, she’d watched the livestream from the church in Briar Hollow.
It had made her a little homesick. Not for anything but the church and the people there.
She missed the smiles and hugs of the older women who had taken her under their wings.
Would she find anything like that in Idaho?
Probably not if she was never allowed off the estate.
Grimacing at the thought, Angela grabbed a spoon from the drawer and began to drizzle the frosting on the cinnamon rolls.
After the livestream, she’d been at a loss for what to do. After discovering the cook was off for the day, she’d decided to make use of the empty kitchen.
Kiara had spent the afternoon looking over schooling options on their laptop. She seemed to have zeroed in on taking some classes online and was actually excited about the possibility.
Angela wasn’t sure what she was going to do yet. Her skills seemed useless in this new life on the estate, and she didn’t know how to change that.
When her phone let her know she’d received a message, Angela set the bowl of icing aside and picked up her phone.
She was surprised when she didn’t see a text message. Instead, there was a voice memo. Smiling at the prospect of hearing Jude’s voice, she leaned a hip against the counter and tapped the screen to start the playback and lifted it to her ear.
“Hi Angela. I’m currently not at the estate, but I’ll swing by the house when I’m back. Probably in about an hour or so.”
The message was short, and before she could think about it, she tapped to replay it. His words made her smile, but also made her wonder where he’d been.
Not that it was any of her business.
Still, she was curious about what he did on his day off. She had a hard time envisioning him with a hobby, but she’d like to know if he had one.
The rest of the house was quiet. Julian had left, and though no one had said where he’d gone, Angela assumed he’d returned to New York, where he lived.
Duncan and Elizabeth were somewhere in the house, and Benji was with Annie. They’d left for church earlier that morning but hadn’t returned yet.
Every day, Angela felt a little more lost. She had more money than she knew what to do with, but now she felt like she had no direction. No purpose. Useless.
Which was how she’d ended up making cinnamon rolls again. It was the one thing she knew how to do well, but there was no one clamoring for them here like there had been in Briar Hollow.
She finished slathering the icing on the slightly warm rolls, hoping that whoever ate one would enjoy it.
Though she could have put all the dishes she’d used in the large dishwasher, Angela filled the deep sink with warm, soapy water. It felt lovely to plunge her hands into the warmth as she stared out the large window above the sink at the snow-covered landscape.
She was still trying to get used to the cold. The day before, she and Kiara had placed an order online for some warmer clothes to supplement the clothes they’d brought with them from Briar Hollow. Most of those were purchased at the thrift store in the town.
Finished cleaning the last of the pans she’d used, Angela glanced up in time to see a large dark gray truck drive past. Her hands stilled in the water, tightening around the dishcloth she held.
Was that Jude arriving back on the estate?
Her heart gave a flutter as the vehicle moved out of sight. She hurriedly finished washing the pan, then rinsed it before reaching for the dishtowel she’d been using.
Moving quickly, she set the pan down on the counter, then went to one of the cabinets and pulled out a couple of plates. She had no idea if he’d actually hang around to have a cinnamon bun, or if he would want to just pick some up and take them home to enjoy.
Along with the plates, she also found a container and set it on the counter, ready to fill it if it looked like he was just picking some up. So whatever he decided, she was prepared.
Of course, she knew what she preferred.
She moved one of the cinnamon rolls onto a plate, then hesitated. Would it look too eager if she had two plates ready? Maybe she should wait until he arrived before plating a second one.
The sound of the mudroom door opening sent a ripple of anticipation through her. Angela smoothed her hands down her flour-dusted apron, suddenly wishing she'd taken a moment to check her appearance.
"Something smells amazing," Jude's deep voice carried from the hallway before he appeared in the kitchen doorway.
He looked different somehow—more relaxed in jeans and a dark blue sweater that made his eyes seem even more vivid than usual. His hair was slightly tousled, as if he'd been running his hands through it.
"I hope you're still offering those cinnamon rolls," he said, a hint of warmth in his tone that she wasn't used to hearing.
"I am." Angela gestured to the cooling rack, suddenly finding herself nervous. She gripped her hands tightly together to keep them from fluttering. "I just finished icing them."
Jude came further into the kitchen, his presence filling the space in a way that made it feel both smaller and cozier, even though it was large and sunny.
"You didn't have to go to all this trouble."
"It wasn't any trouble," she said, reaching for a second plate. "You know I enjoy baking. These days, it gives me something to do with my hands when my mind is restless."
"I know that feeling." Jude leaned against the counter, and Angela felt him watching her as she carefully transferred another cinnamon roll to the plate. "Though I tend to take my guns apart and clean them when I need to occupy my hands."
"I'm not sure that would work for me," Angela said with a small smile. She slid one of the plates toward him. "I hope you like it."
Jude picked up the plate and leaned in slightly to breathe in the scent. "This smells incredible. I haven't had homemade cinnamon rolls like these since…"
He paused, and something flickered across his face—a memory, perhaps.
"Since?" Angela prompted gently, still wanting to know more about him.
"Since I was a little kid," he finished. "My mom wasn’t much of a baker, though she did make some great chocolate chip cookies. But there was this older woman who lived next door to us—Mrs. Patterson—and sometimes she'd bring us freshly baked cinnamon rolls. Iced, just like these."
Angela felt a small thrill at this glimpse into his past. "You grew up in New York City?"
“Yes. In the Bronx.” Jude took a bite of the cinnamon roll and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, he looked almost surprised. "This is amazing."
"Thank you." Angela felt warmth spread through her chest at his approval. She gestured toward the small breakfast nook by the window. "Why don’t you sit at the table? Would you like some coffee?"
“Sure. That would be nice.”
Angela quickly made Jude a cup of coffee, glad that she’d finally mastered the fancy coffee machine.
“Did you want cream or sugar?” Angela asked, noticing that he’d taken his plate to the table, and judging from the contents of his plate, it looked like he’d helped himself to another cinnamon bun.
“Nope. I just take it black.”
It was only as she carried his mug to where he stood by the table that she noticed that he’d also transferred her plate there. It wasn’t until she sat down that he took the seat across from her.
He might not have the wealth of Duncan, but Jude Kessler had stellar manners, just like her father. It was an oddity in her world… her old world. Jim and Craig had never shown her and Kiara any level of respect.
As they settled across from each other at the small table, Angela willed herself not to say anything dumb. She’d wanted him to decide to eat there, but now that he had, she didn’t know what to say.
The murmur of conversation had her turning toward the entrance to the kitchen. Her heart sank when Duncan and Elizabeth appeared. The couple came to a halt, then exchanged glances before advancing further into the room.
“Hello there, Jude,” Duncan said.
Jude had gotten to his feet and greeted his boss with a nod. “Angela invited me over to have a cinnamon roll since I missed out on the last batch, and I thought it would be a good time to review the week ahead.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Duncan said.
“Would you like some?” Angela asked as she moved to slide from the breakfast nook.
“I can get it, darling,” Elizabeth said, waving her off with a smile.
Angela sank back down, then scooted over, knowing someone was going to have to sit beside her. Her eyes widened when Jude shifted his plate and mug over to her side of the nook.
She moved over further to make sure he had the room he needed, but Jude didn’t sit back down until Elizabeth and Duncan had joined them.
His arm pressed against hers since there wasn’t a lot of room in the nook, but Angela didn’t mind.
His strength and warmth called to her, making her want to lean against his arm. To rest her head on his shoulder.
Sunlight streamed in through the windows next to her, casting them in a softening light as the day inched toward twilight. Outside, the snow-covered landscape gleamed white, and though she hadn’t been out in it, so didn’t know for sure, it looked cold.
But sitting there next to Jude, she was warm and happy.
“So how are things for this week?” Duncan asked. “Everything ready for Tuesday?”
“Yes. I’ve made arrangements for a car for Jill, as well as a suite at the resort.”