Chapter Nineteen
Lainey
The bakery closed at noon, and my employee, Marie and I made quick work of cleaning up before she left. After locking the doors behind her, I headed to my apartment hoping to get a little Candy Crush time before Conor woke up.
Anything to keep me from fixating on the fact that Adam hadn’t stopped in to see me today.
I mean, what else did he have to do?
I immediately chastised myself as I trudged up the stairs.
That’s pretty arrogant of you to think he couldn’t find something better to do in Haven Springs then stop in to see you.
I walked in and tossed my keys in the bowl on the small table by the door, then threw the lock behind me.
Sunday was my apartment cleaning day, so in preparation, I slipped my shoes off and bent down to pick them up to place them on the mat by the door that I didn’t utilize enough.
That’s when I saw the envelope in the middle of the floor.
It was a plain, white #10 envelope with my first name on the front written in all caps printed in block lettering.
My first thought was maybe Adam had slipped a goodbye letter under my door, which immediately pissed me off.
He didn’t even have the decency to tell me in person that he was leaving town?
But that didn’t make sense. Word of his fight outside the bakery had spread like wildfire around town.
It was all anyone had been able to talk about for the last two days when they came into the bakery.
They kept trying to pump me for information, but I repeated the same thing each time: the only thing I knew was that the police were investigating who could have done such a thing, and Adam was recovering at Brian’s house.
That morning, as I rang Mrs. Cahill’s order up, she whispered, “I heard that Adam, that Marine fella that’s in town visiting the O’Briens, has been hired by the Haven Springs police department.”
“Really? I haven’t heard that one.”
“Mabel Leonard’s daughter works at the hospital, and she told her mom that her coworker, Alice Bellinger, heard Adam tell Chief O’Shaughnessy in the emergency room that he’d take the job.”
“Hmm.” I felt my brows furrow. “I’m not sure I believe that. I know he said he’s anxious to get home to see his family.”
Plus, neither Brian nor Adam had said anything about it yesterday.
“Your total is nine seventeen.”
She tapped her credit card against the reader. “It’s all over town.”
Gee, then it must be true.
“Well, that would be great if that’s really the case. I know the department needs the help.”
“Plus, I hear he’s really handsome. The single girls will love having a new bachelor in Haven Springs. He’ll have his pick of women.”
I’d forced a smile, because I knew she hadn’t considered me one of the “single girls” he could have his pick of. And suddenly I hated every unattached female in our little town.
“I don’t know, Mrs. Cahill. That’s not working out so well for Brian.”
“Well, hopefully, with Adam on the force, that will free him up to date, too. Maybe we can get both of them to join the church’s singles’ group.”
I handed her the bag of baked goods she’d picked out. “It sounds like you’ve got it all figured out.”
“Fingers crossed!”
Yeah, fingers crossed.
Now, I stared at the block handwriting on the envelope to determine if I recognized it, but it wasn’t familiar.
Turning it over, I ran my nail along the flap to open it.
Inside was a single folded yellow sheet of paper. I pulled it out, and after scanning the words on the page, dropped the letter, and sprinted to Conor’s room.
****
Adam
Apparently the bus station was closed on Sundays in Spring Haven, so I hadn’t been able to buy a ticket to Lancastle. I walked back to Brian’s house and, even though I felt indolent doing so, my body demanded a mid-morning nap.
I knew rest was crucial to my recovery, so I was able to let the guilt go as I laid down in the guest room. Brian was right, his bed was comfy as hell, and I was asleep in no time.
My buzzing Garmin reminding me to move pulled me from a deep slumber. I glanced at the time: one p.m., and I sat up with a jolt.
Dammit!
I’d wanted to stop in at Lainey’s bakery and buy more tarts, but I knew she closed at noon.
Maybe she still had some she’d sell me. An anonymous person had paid for my breakfast, so I had money burning a hole in my pocket.
Plus, I really wanted to see her.
After splashing water on my face and brushing my teeth, I headed toward her apartment. It was only a ten-minute walk.
Shit, if I did take the job here, I probably wouldn’t even put five thousand miles a year on my vehicle. After I’d received my signing bonus when I’d joined the Marines, I’d splurged and used it as a down payment when I bought a brand-new, grey Ford Bronco Badlands.
My SUV was almost seven years old and barely had thirty thousand miles on it; a byproduct of spending months at a time overseas. Right now, it was on blocks in my parents’ pole barn.
I was already getting to know my way around town and made it to Lainey’s outside staircase in eight minutes. As I maneuvered my way up the stairs, I began to second-guess my decision to show up at her door unannounced.
This was her time off; she probably didn’t want to be disturbed. It was rude of me not to text her and ask her if I could come over.
But if I were being honest with myself, I was afraid she’d say no.
I mean, I did have a legitimate reason for coming. If she seemed busy, I would take the tarts and go—providing she had any.
I lifted my knuckles to knock on her door and paused again. Was this a good idea? Hadn’t I just had a conversation with myself earlier about getting out of town without getting into trouble? Spending time alone with her seemed like tempting fate.
Too late now , the devil on my shoulder whispered and the next thing I knew, I was knocking on her door.
Her voice sounded panicked when she asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s Adam.”
I heard her unlocking the locks, then she swung the door open. I noticed her lean a baseball bat against the wall as I stepped over the threshold.
“Whoa, what’s that for?”
With tears in her eyes, she bent over to pick up a piece of paper, then handed it to me.