Chapter 9
Nine
Jonah linked his fingers with Rachel’s, enjoying how they so neatly laced with his. “You know my favorite part of being a baker?”
“Mmm?” She hummed the question from her position draped over his chest.
“That we close at two, and I get the whole rest of the afternoon to do whatever I want.” He traced a finger down her bare back, enjoying her little purr of pleasure.
She lifted her head and blinked sleepy eyes at him, her mouth curved in a satisfied, feline smile. “I definitely can’t complain that an afternoon delight heads up that list of activities.”
And if she kept looking at him like that, he’d be up for another round in short order.
For the past four days, they’d headed back to the cabin right at closing time, barely making it inside before they dove at each other. Though they hadn’t discussed it, they were both acutely aware that their time together was half through, and neither of them wanted to waste a minute of it. So they made love and slept and talked, then did it all over again. And if Jonah had used this escalation in their relationship to keep her away from all things related to his father—well, he told himself he was letting Xander do his job.
Their connection was electric. Jonah had no idea whether it was because of the unshakable foundation of friendship they’d built first, or if it was simply her. He only knew he’d never experienced anything like it. Beyond the incredible sex, he simply liked having her around, in his space. They’d fallen into a weirdly comfortable and domestic partnership that should have alarmed him. Instead, it just made him want more. If there was a part of him that had begun to whisper, “What if?” he ignored it. Their expiration date made sense. She didn’t actually live here. New York was twelve hours away. Above and beyond all that, he could never put her through what a lifetime with him would mean. Not after all the trauma she’d already experienced.
But he could give her a taste of a real relationship. Show her how she should be treated. The things she should expect from whoever came after him. The idea of someone coming after him soured his gut. But Rachel deserved to find that second chance at forever with someone who was better equipped to give it to her. Somebody who didn’t have a ticking time clock of good years before the long-term consequences of his injuries detonated.
Not wanting to think about an end to them that was far too close, Jonah dragged his mind back to the present. He was with her now. That was what mattered. He was going to make every second count, and that meant going all in for however long they had. They hadn’t been actively trying to hide the change in their relationship. It was too hard to stop themselves from all those little touches and gestures that betrayed a deeper level of intimacy. But they hadn’t been parading it either. He was proud to be with Rachel, proud she’d chosen him. And abruptly, he wanted to take her out, show her off.
“Get dressed.” He punctuated the order with a light smack to her butt.
“If this is about your aversion to cooking naked, I swear I’ve never burned myself.”
“It’s not an aversion. It’s self-protection to make sure we actually get fed, which wouldn’t happen if you paraded around the kitchen in your very fine birthday suit. But no, we’re going out tonight. On a date.”
“A date?” The confusion in her tone had him wishing he’d thought to do this before.
“Yep. A night out on the town. Such as it is.”
“Isn’t that kind of outside the parameters of the whole friends-with-benefits thing?”
“Yeah.” But they’d already gone beyond that in his mind. Fighting back a wave of disappointment, Jonah slid away from her, sitting up. Maybe she didn’t want to go all in on this. On him. “If you don’t want to call it a date, just call it dinner. I’m starving. You still haven’t had the grilled mac and cheese sandwich from the diner, and I can’t let you leave Eden’s Ridge without it.”
Maybe they both needed the reminder that she was leaving.
Rachel’s arms came around him before he could stand. “Jonah.” She pressed a kiss to his shoulder. “Look at me.”
Fixing his face into a neutral mask, he twisted to face her. “What?”
Her smile was a little shy. “I would love to go on a date with you.”
The knot in his chest untangled. Not wanting her to see the profound relief on his face, he kissed her again, fast and hard. “Dress comfy, and wear shoes you can walk in.”
“Aye, aye, sir!”
Forty minutes later, they strode into Crystal’s Diner, just before the Wednesday night dinner rush. Spying an empty booth along one wall, Jonah made a beeline, dragging Rachel with him. He nudged her onto the bench seat and slid in after her, where he could see most of the restaurant. Which meant he noticed all the other patrons noticing them.
Yeah, I’m here with her. Eat your hearts out.
He stretched a deliberate arm along the back of the booth, making his claim.
Rachel plucked a laminated menu from behind the napkin dispenser. “I don’t think I’ve sat on the same side as my date since college. Not like this anyway.”
“The easier for you to steal my fries.”
She gasped in mock outrage. “I am not a fry thief.”
“You are when you order onion rings when you really want both. But don’t worry. I can share.”
Her eyes sparkled as she batted those long lashes at him. “Your nobility knows no bounds.”
“Jonah Ferguson, where have you been hiding?”
He flashed a smile at the comfortably rounded, fifty-something Crystal, where she hovered by their table. “Hey, Crystal. Been working my tail off. How are things here at the diner?”
“Good, good. Can’t complain.” Her lively eyes skated over to Rachel. “And who’s your lovely companion?”
“This is Rachel McCleary. Rachel, Crystal Blue, creator of the grilled mac and cheese sandwich that’s going to ruin you for life.”
“Nice to meet you. Jonah’s been telling me tales of this sandwich for a very long time.”
“Oh?” Crystal’s glance ping-ponged between them.
“Rachel was my teacher in Syracuse. She’s the one who taught us all to bake,” Jonah explained.
Crystal brightened. “Well, Lord have mercy, we owe you a debt, young lady. The addition of that bakery to town has been so wonderful. And of course, we’re thrilled to have our boy home again.”
“Eden’s Ridge is a really great little town,” Rachel said.
“Will you be staying long?”
Jonah had known this would be a fishing expedition. Part of him welcomed getting the word out this way. But he felt Rachel stiffen beside him. Curling his hand around her shoulder, he gave a little squeeze.
“She’s in town helping out while Brax is on his honeymoon.”
“That’s so nice of you! Home to New York after that?”
Rachel hesitated, and he was about to step in to redirect the conversation when she straightened her shoulders. “I’m not sure. Things are a little up in the air with my plans just now.”
What did that mean?
“Well, I hope you enjoy your time in Eden’s Ridge, however long you stay. What can I get y’all?”
After Crystal sashayed toward the window to put in their order, Jonah turned a little in his seat to better see her. “You’re not going back to Audrey’s program?”
“I had her find a replacement for me. He’s willing to make that permanent if I choose not to come back. And right now, I don’t think I want to.”
“Why not?”
“For a lot of reasons. But mostly, I think I need to get out of Syracuse entirely. Start over somewhere new. I’m thrilled to be down here right now, because my anniversary is next Tuesday, and if I were home, everybody would make a big sad production of it. I want to remember. But I want to remember the good, not the end. So, part of what I hoped to achieve while I was here is figuring out whether I like small town life, because that will impact where I think about relocating.”
Here.
Jonah had to bite back the word that came instantly to his tongue. There were reasons why that was a terrible idea. The biggest one being he didn’t think he could stand being around when their time as lovers came to an end and she moved on with someone else.
“Well, trying it out for a while seems sensible before picking up stakes and making a change that big. And it seems like that means I need to show you the best small town life has to offer.”
She aimed that heart-stopping smile in his direction. “I was hoping you would.”
“The bride’s ex one-thousand percent pulled a ‘Friends in Low Places’ at the reception.”
Rachel’s mouth fell open. “He did not!”
From where she leaned against one of the prep tables in the bakery kitchen, Cayla lifted her palm. “Hand to God. He straight up started quoting the lyrics. I thought the groom was going to blow a gasket, but thankfully the best man and one of the other groomsmen managed to haul him out before he got to the third verse.”
God, Rachel was so enjoying this pipeline of small-town gossip.
At another table across the kitchen, Jonah kneaded and stretched his latest batch of sourdough. “Video or it didn’t happen.”
Cayla scowled. “Now what kind of professional would I be if I took video that was YouTube worthy at one of my clients’ weddings instead of working to smooth things over with the bride and her parents?”
Holt snagged her around the waist and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “One smart enough to know somebody else was totally gonna do that, and find it online later.”
Her smile was very cat that ate the canary. “You are not wrong.”
Rachel efficiently wrapped the pastry she’d just made in cling wrap and popped it into the walk-in cooler to chill. “This I’ve gotta see.”
They all crowded around Cayla to peer at her phone as she brought up the video. Jonah pressed against Rachel’s back, his hand sliding possessively around her waist. She leaned against him, enjoying the feeling of being claimed in all these tiny ways. She’d spent so long being part of a pair. Not that she couldn’t be alone. In the years since John had died, she’d learned how. But it meant she didn’t take it for granted now.
She and Jonah had crossed some line. Past being friends-with-benefits and into something more that she didn’t dare analyze. She’d told him about her intention to relocate, and he hadn’t immediately suggested she move to Tennessee so they could keep pursing this relationship. But he’d been true to his word, making an effort to show her everything Eden’s Ridge had to offer. Surely, that meant something? She didn’t know how to ask him without risk of damaging this fledgling thing building between them.
The bell over the front door jangled as another customer entered. Patting Jonah’s hand, Rachel stepped away. “My turn.”
Since the bruising had faded from her face, she’d been taking shifts out front, filling orders and ringing people up. Jonah had involved her in the development of their business from its beginning, taking advantage of her experience building and growing a bakery from the ground up. She wanted to get a feel for how theirs ran from all sides, so she could make suggestions for how best to strengthen it.
A familiar brunette with a toddler on her hip stood at the counter. The child caught sight of her and reached out chubby arms. “Ray-Ray!”
Grinning, Rachel skirted the counter to give the girl a little belly tickle. “Hey there, Bailey. How are you?”
Bailey giggled and stretched those little arms out in the universal sign for up! When Rachel held out her hands in return, her mother, Pru Reynolds Bohannon, one of the quartet of sisters behind The Misfit Inn and Spa, relinquished her. “I’d heard you were back in town and staying with Jonah.”
Rachel settled Bailey on her hip, soaking in the comforting weight of a cuddly child. “For a couple of weeks now. I came back for Brax and Mia’s vow renewal and stuck around to help while they were on their honeymoon.”
“Xander mentioned the trouble y’all had. How are you feeling?”
Rachel blinked in surprise. Small towns, she reminded herself. And the sheriff was Pru’s brother-in-law. “I’m okay. All recovered now.”
Pru’s brown eyes were worried as they scanned the fading scar at Rachel’s temple. “Aren’t you a little anxious? I know they haven’t caught the guy.”
She couldn’t hold back the wry smile. “Hard to be anxious with a former SEAL as a bodyguard.”
“Fair point. Even before the Navy, Jonah had a protective streak a mile wide.”
It was weird for Rachel to think about how many people here had known Jonah longer and perhaps better than she did. “You’ve known him a long time?”
“All my life. He was just a year behind me in school and friends with several of my brothers. Everybody’s glad to see him home.”
It was another reminder of the roots he had here. This was his place. She wondered if it could really become hers, too. Shaking off the thought, she shifted Bailey to her other hip. “What can I get for you today?”
“The tiny terror there can be bribed with C-A-K-E. We’ve got a houseful at the inn this weekend, so it seemed prudent to be prepared.”
“I feel like we can help you out with that. What are you looking for?”
“Cake!” Bailey trilled, leaning over to press her little kid hands to the glass display case, where the day’s offering of cupcakes sat like frosting-covered jewels.
“Oh! Bailey, don’t touch!” Pru’s voice held that edge of motherly exasperation that said she was in dire need of a break.
Rachel shifted her out of reach of the case and bounced a little. “It’s fine. Nothing that won’t clean right up.” She made faces at the girl, wringing out more giggles. “If you have a few minutes, we could all sit down for a little snack and a visit.”
“That sounds amazing,” Pru breathed.
“Go, sit. I’ve got this.”
Juggling Bailey on her hip, Rachel gathered up a couple of the fresh lemon blueberry scones and snagged bottled waters from the mini-fridge behind the counter, before joining Pru at one of the four-top tables.
“So, how’s everything at the inn?” Rachel had loved every minute of her past stays at The Misfit Inn. Their spa was top-notch, and the inn itself was delightful and cozy.
“Crazy. We’re at peak season and growing by leaps and bounds. Which is a fantastic problem to have, so I shouldn’t complain.”
“Wishing you had some breathing room doesn’t qualify as a complaint.”
“You’re sweet for saying so. We’re gonna have to look at expanding staff again soon. My sister Athena’s been handling the lion’s share of the breakfast stuff, but her Misfit Kitchen web series is taking off since her cookbook came out, so she really doesn’t want to deal with that anymore, you know? She’s a chef, not a baker. It’s not her passion.”
Rachel’s brain began to spin. “Are you looking to hire someone in-house, or would you consider contracting with the boys?”
Pru blinked. “I don’t know yet. I guess it would depend on how the numbers broke down.”
“I think I might could help you out either way.” At her questioning look, Rachel continued. “I’m thinking of leaving Syracuse.”
It took all her control not to look toward the kitchen and Jonah. But it didn’t stop Pru.
“And moving here?” To be with Jonah? was what she was really asking.
Rachel took advantage of handing Bailey her sippy cup to avoid Pru’s gaze. “I don’t know. It’s too early to say at this point. But gainful employment is certainly a factor.”
“You don’t want to open another bakery?”
“I haven’t decided.” She’d done it once. She could do it again. But she wasn’t sure she wanted to. “I think I might like a different kind of challenge.”
Eden’s Ridge couldn’t support another bakery, and she was reasonably sure Bad Boy Bakers couldn’t support a fourth person. Certainly not at the level they operated at now. To seriously consider coming here, she had to have a viable option for employment. If the Misfit Inn was seriously looking to expand its staff, it might be the ideal solution.
“How long are you in town?”
“At least until Brax and Mia get home. After that, I don’t have firm plans.” She hoped Jonah would ask her to stay, but she couldn’t count on that.
“Let me talk to my sisters. I think they’ll go with me on this, but if you’d be willing to stick around for another week or so, we could maybe do a trial run to see what we all think about having an in-house baker. You could give us a better idea of the numbers involved, and that would help us figure out whether that’s a viable option for all of us.”
“I’d love that.”
By the time they’d finished their snacks, and she’d sent Pru and Bailey on their way with two boxes of treats to get them through the weekend, Jonah was ensconced in the little office off the kitchen.
Rachel slid into the narrow room behind him and glanced at the spreadsheets on the screen. “Inventory?”
“Unfortunately. It’s my least favorite part of the business.”
“Necessary evil.”
“Have a good visit with Pru?”
“I did. I got to know her a bit during my previous stays at the inn. I really like her and her sisters.”
“They’re good people,” he agreed.
“Our conversation gave me some ideas about Bad Boy Bakers.”
“Oh?” Jonah tipped his head back against her ribs, and she automatically began kneading at the muscles in his neck and shoulders.
“Have you been keeping track of what sells the best, broken down to cost per unit?”
“Um, no? Not to that deep an extent. We’re keeping up with what sells best, sure. And we’ve got a better handle on how much to make to avoid waste. But we haven’t looked at what it costs to make each thing.”
“I can help you put together a spreadsheet that will do that by linking to your existing inventory spreadsheet.”
Jonah tipped his head back to stare at her. “Why, Miss McCleary, are you secretly a math nerd?”
She squeezed his shoulders. “I’m a data geek and proud of it. It meant I knew down to the penny how much it cost me to run my business. That was especially important in the lean beginning years. How are your sales running?”
Holt came to lean in the doorway. “Sales are holding steady. They’re not quite as high as they were at the very beginning when things were brand new and everybody was excited to come check us out, but we’ve settled into something that’s probably going to be our normal. I’m getting more cake orders, largely courtesy of Cayla, and we’ve definitely got our share of regulars.”
All of that was good and more or less what Rachel had expected. “Have you considered how you want to grow?”
“Grow?” Jonah protested. “We’re barely started.”
“Yeah, but it’s never too early to think about how you might expand. What other product lines you might carry. The ways you can really shore up your business. Because there are three of you, and this is a small town. There are only so many ways you can expand your market base in terms of the people who live here.”
Holt folded his arms. “What did you have in mind?”
“Well, for one thing, you should absolutely look into partnering with some of the local restaurants to see about providing baked goods and desserts on their menu. If they don’t already have someone in-house doing that, chances are, they’re purchasing something pre-made. You can offer better quality, fresher options, which serves to elevate their menus and also functions as free advertising for the bakery, provided they disclose the source to patrons—which you should absolutely ask for. Then there’s also the possibility of mail orders.”
Jonah scoffed. “Mail orders? For baked goods? Have you actually seen the state of packages that go through the postal service in our country?”
“Yeah, smart ass. That’s actually something I was looking into for my bakery before I decided to close. There’s a real market for that kind of thing. Obviously, not every kind of baked good is suited to survive being mailed, but there are certain products that absolutely can. I know of several bakeries that have created a demand well outside of their catchment area.”
“I’d think that’s a pretty involved process,” Holt observed. “Something that might need more people? More equipment and space.”
“It can. But it depends on the degree. There are ways to do it in phases, so you’re not overwhelmed straight out of the gate.” Rachel could see they’d already hit the point of overwhelm. Probably this wasn’t the best thing to bring up while the issue of who was targeting the bakery was still up in the air. “It was just an idea. And certainly something y’all should discuss among yourselves once Brax gets back.”
Jonah grabbed one of her hands and pressed a kiss to it. “It’s a good idea. Maybe a bit too ambitious for where we are just now. But the talking to local restaurants we can absolutely do. I know Logan Maxwell’s farm supplies a hell of a lot of the produce and meats for them, so it seems like there’s a good chance they’d be open to that kind of partnership.”
“You’re the local,” Holt pointed out. “Seems like you’re the logical person to talk to them.”
“I’ll add it to the list.”