28. Coraline
28
CORALINE
It’s Sunday morning, and I’m in the kitchen at the bakery, working on a batch of carrot cake cupcakes with vegan cream cheese. It smells so good that I’m having a hard time not making extra to eat for myself. I mean, carrots are healthy, right? It’s practically breakfast food.
It’s been a few days since my first official fake date with Jasper, and while we’ve texted a little bit, he hasn’t made an effort to see me again. Which is totally fine , I reason with myself. It’s what I wanted.
Then why the hell do I feel so . . . disappointed?
I kind of thought I’d have fun making him work for it. Ya know, earn my attention or favor or whatever.
Ugh. I huff an annoyed breath, sending my loose baby hair framing my face flying outward. I knew I shouldn’t have read those fake dating romance books. I was too curious, and I ended up staying up until one a.m. last night, because I quite literally couldn’t put the latest one down.
And now it’s got me kind of twisted up. But I just have to take a deep breath and remind myself to chill out. This isn’t fiction.
The familiar ringtone of my phone cuts through the soft instrumental music in the background, pulling me from my thoughts. Mom’s photo flashes on the screen, and I answer with a quick swipe. Her warm, smiling face fills the screen, framed by the wood trim of her living room.
“Hey, Mom,” I greet, adjusting the angle of the phone to hide the chaos of the counter next to me.
“Good morning,” she replies, her voice bright. “How is my darling daughter doing?”
I smile at her affectionate tone. “Good, Mom. Just finishing up some orders. Mrs. Marshall ordered a bunch of cupcakes for her granddaughter’s birthday party.”
She shifts slightly, the paused TV in the background. “I was catching up on my show when I remembered that I hadn’t spoken to you yet. Family dinner tonight.”
I nod, a pang of guilt squeezing my chest when I realize that I didn’t exactly forget about it. I just didn’t remember. I mean, I would’ve remembered soon, I’m sure of it. But I kind of can’t believe I’d been so preoccupied by thoughts of a man. Blech .
Evangeline would never let me live this down. Which is precisely why I’m not going to tell her.
I recover quick enough that I’m mentally patting myself on the back. “Of course, I remember. I’m bringing biscotti for dessert. I thought we could have it with our after dinner coffee.”
Mom’s eyes soften, but there’s a hint of something else there—worry, maybe. “You’ve been working so hard, Coraline. Why don’t you let me pick up something for dessert.”
A lump forms in my throat and it takes me two tries to swallow past it. I know it’s coming from a good place—I know it. But it doesn’t ease the sting every time she tries to get me not to share my passion with my family.
I swallow and paste a smile on my face, the edges brittle and wrong. “Don’t worry, Mom. These are totally normal biscotti. No scary ingredients. Besides, they’re already made.”
She nods slowly, a small, hesitant smile playing on her lips. “Right, okay, well, you know your father will enjoy anything. Oh that reminds me, I saw Kelly Robinson at the store today, and guess what? Her nephew just moved to Maple Grove. I thought it might be nice if you took him out for coffee, showed him around town.”
My brows furrow as I try to understand what she’s saying. “Are you trying to set me up with some random guy?”
“He’s not a random guy, he’s Kelly’s nephew. You know Kelly. We went to high school together, and now she runs the Parks & Rec centers,” Mom reasons. She does these slow blinks, eyebrows raised like she doesn't understand what the fuss is about.
“Mom. Absolutely not.” I shake my head.
“Okay, well, what about one of your brothers’ friends? You guys could go on double dates or something,” she counters.
“Oh my god, Mom, no . I am not dating my geeky brothers’ friends. Hard pass.”
She tsks, the reprimand as obvious as if she used words instead. “Your brothers are smart, Coraline. That means their friends are smart too. Don’t you want to date someone like that other than . . . you know .”
Grant, she means. Is she never going to let me forget that lapse in judgment?
“Mom, I love you, but please listen to me when I say I’ve got it. My love life is doing just fine, thanks.”
Her face softens as she shrugs. “Well, you know what Nana Jo always said. The best way to get over someone is to get under someone else.”
My mouth falls open. It’s one thing to hear Nana Jo pop off with the most insane idioms, but to hear my straight-laced mom tell me to hook up with someone else to get over Grant is not something I expected to hear today.
“I miss her.” My admission is quiet.
Mom exhales through her nose. “I know, honey, me too. And I’m just trying to help. I worry about you, you know.”
I hesitate, the words on the tip of my tongue. I wasn’t planning on telling them about Jasper, but the thought of my mom trying to set me up with some random woman’s nephew—or worse, one of my brother’s friends—makes my decision easy. “Actually, I’m seeing someone.”
Mom’s eyes widen in surprise. “A boyfriend? Since when?”
“Recently,” I admit, shrugging a little. “His name is Jagger.”
Her expression shifts, curiosity and concern mingling. “Jagger? That’s an . . . interesting name. What does he do?”
Before I can evade any more of her questions, the bell above the bakery door chimes. Saved by the bell—literally.
I glance up, and there he is, swaggering in with two coffees in hand and that perpetual charming smile. My heart skips a beat, and I quickly turn back to the phone.
“Uh, Mom, I’ve got to go. I’ll see you tonight, okay?”
Mom’s eyes narrow slightly, but she nods. “Alright, honey. We’ll talk more later. Love you.”
“Love you too,” I reply, hanging up. I turn to Jagger, who’s now standing in front of me, holding out one of the coffees.
“For you,” he says, his voice smooth and confident.
I take the coffee, feeling a smile tug at my lips. “Another coffee delivery?”
He leans casually against the counter, a playful glint in his eye. “Thought I’d surprise my best girl.”
I give him a sidelong glance. “Is this your master plan? Convince the town and everyone we’re dating by bringing me coffee in the mornings?”
He grins, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “It’d be easier if you were in my bed, but I can work with this.”
My tongue runs along my bottom lip. “Dream on. I am never sharing a bed with you.”
He leans forward, his grin sinful and eyes dark. “Never say never, baby.”
I roll my eyes, but there’s no denying the warmth spreading through me. “You’re impossible.”
He chuckles, then his expression turns serious for a moment. “As much as I want to stay, I gotta get to the garage this morning. And baby, when I leave, lock the door, yeah?”
The sudden shift catches me off guard. “Is there something going on?”
His gaze softens, a moment of genuine concern. “Just want to make sure you’re safe. You know you can always come to me if you need help with anything, right?”
The sincerity in his voice makes my heart ache a little. But then anxiety rears its head, convinced he somehow knows about my landlord situation. And to round out the trio of emotional warfare, embarrassment takes over. And she’s the fucking worst.
“I can take care of myself.” It comes out harsher than I meant, a knee-jerk response when I’m feeling embarrassed. And it seems I have that emotion in spades, which is so frustrating.
I clear my throat, dropping my gaze for a minute. “Sorry. It’s just, I can handle everything on my own.” Mostly .
His smirk doesn’t fade, he just nods and raps his knuckles on the countertop. “I know. Humor me, yeah? So about tonight.”
“What about tonight?”
“How do you feel about pizza? I’ll pick you up around six?” He pushes off the counter and points at me. “But if you’re one of those pineapple on pizza people, we might have to break up.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “You’ll have to find out some other time. I’m busy tonight.”
His jaw clenches so quickly, I would’ve missed it if I wasn’t looking. “Yeah, with what, hm?”
I wave my hand absently. “It’s kind of lame, but my parents host a family dinner on Sundays.”
He hums under his breath, his eyes looking over my face like he’s cataloging my features. “Another time then.”
For a moment, we just stand there, the air between us filled with unspoken words. Jasper’s gaze holds mine, steady and warm, and for a moment, I almost forget this isn’t real.
“Thanks for the coffee, Jasper,” I murmur, breaking the silence.
He nods, that playful glint returning to his eyes. “See you soon, baby.”
As he walks out, I watch him go, my heart pounding in my chest. This fake relationship is turning out to be more complicated than I expected. And maybe, just maybe, I’m okay with that.