Chapter Eleven
Caleb was thankful for the employees-only spot behind Loaved Up. He’d asked Sebastian to save it for them, knowing how difficult parking would be two Saturdays before Christmas.
As Emma chattered on about what she’d seen so far, he slipped his phone out of his pocket and texted his older brother.
We’re here. And I swear to God, if you embarrass me, I will drive until I run out of gas and then bury your recipe box in the deepest hole I can find.
Of course, their mother had likely told Sebastian and his wife, Gretchen, about Emma. Embellishing, as she did. This was just a day trip around his hometown. A work trip, even.
His phone chimed with a new text.
As if I would do that. Come in when you’re ready. I reserved the booth right by the window.
To anyone else, that text would seem almost kind. But Sebastian knew as well as anyone how this town worked. If his mother had told Sebastian about Emma, all the biddies knew as well. They would be on display for the whole town.
Thank god half the town was full of tourists today, making the microscope’s glare a little easier to bear.
“You ready to go? My brother and sister-in-law are expecting us.”
She was half out of the door before he finished his sentence. He chuckled as he followed suit. Before he could knock, the back door swung open. Thankfully, it was Gretchen, not Sebastian. She had better manners than his brother.
“Come on in! You arrived at the perfect time. We’ve had a bit of a lull now that the ice-skating rink opened.”
“Ice skating?” Emma asked.
“A new addition to the winter festivities. Hi there, I’m Gretchen.”
They stepped inside the bakery’s back room. While Gretchen and Emma chitchatted, Caleb inhaled deeply. Loaved Up smelled like freshly brewed coffee and the bakery’s famous yeasted cinnamon and chocolate rolls.
His brother had worked in big-city finance for years before pursuing his lifelong dream of opening a bakery. Caleb wished his dreams were as clear-cut as his siblings’. They’d always known what they wanted to do, even if it had taken them a while to achieve their goals.
After hanging up his coat, he pushed open the door to the bakery. He found Sebastian behind the counter, restocking the display case. He looked up as Caleb approached.
“Well? Where’s your future Mrs.?”
“Shut the fu—”
He didn’t get to finish that thought as Gretchen and Emma came behind Caleb. “Why don’t you two get settled? We’ll bring you over a sampler in a minute.”
Sebastian stuck out his tongue. Suddenly, they were fourteen and twelve years old again, arguing over who was the better baseball player.
Emma’s head pivoted back and forth like a marionette’s.
Loaved Up was like a second home to Caleb.
After all, he’d helped Sebastian and Gretchen gut and renovate the space before they’d opened for business late last year.
The place was extra homey during the holidays.
Christmas lights wound around the hearty wooden beams that crested across the ceiling, twinkling merrily.
Tinsel and ornaments clung to anything that would sit still long enough, and the windows were painted with an old-fashioned winter scene.
The front booth was nestled into a bay window facing Silver Spring Street. From the window, they had a perfect view of the town gazebo and the ice-skating rink.
“Is it cold enough for ice to freeze today?” Emma asked.
“No. This is why the ‘ice’ is that glorified plastic stuff they put down in a lot of places now. It’ll do in a pinch, though,” Caleb said.
She scooted into the booth. “I used to love to ice skate when I got the chance. I haven’t in ages, though.”
Caleb slipped into the booth opposite her. “Well, it’s your day in town. If you want to ice skate, I’m sure we can make it happen for you.”
She gestured to the line snaking around the outside of the gazebo. “Maybe today isn’t the best day for that. I don’t have to do everything today. I’m staying at the lodge until after Christmas.”
Her smile drooped, but Gretchen appeared with a three-tiered metal and wood tray before he had time to ask if anything was bothering her.
“This is the holiday sampler.”
While Gretchen went through the items on each level of the tray, Caleb couldn’t keep his eyes off Emma. Her dark hair cascaded over one side of her face as she leaned forward. Her lips were painted a shade of red that suited her pale coloring.
What was going on with him? He was never the type of guy to notice the little details. It was one of the things he and Olivia had argued about. One of the biggest fights they had was when it’d taken him two days to notice that she’d gotten over four inches cut off her hair.
He knew well enough that it was probably a symptom of a deeper issue with his relationship with Olivia. But still, he wasn’t the type to be wooed by lipstick.
“Where should we start, Caleb?”
“I’ll go get a coffee flight sampler while you two figure it out,” Gretchen said.
Caleb pointed to the bottom row of the tray, where slabs of several of Sebastian’s most popular breads lay, along with various spreads.
“Try the signature loaf first. It’s the thing that gets butts in seats, as my brother says.”
He handed Emma a plate, his fingers brushing hers as she took it. Her cheeks flushed the same pinkish red as her dress.
Jesus Christ.
She ducked her cheek against her shoulder as she reached for a piece. “Sounds like a plan.”
“Don’t forget the butter and jam.” He nodded toward the small container on the table.
Gretchen returned with the coffee flight—several small cups of their locally sourced brews.
After she left them again, Caleb looked around for Sebastian. Thankfully, his older brother was nowhere to be found. They had the space to themselves, however momentarily.
“You look like you’re having fun,” he observed.
She wiggled slightly in her seat. “I am! It’s kind of invigorating and depressing at the same time. I realized that I haven’t felt like this in ages.”
“Why depressing?”
She was thoughtful while she buttered her bread. “I guess I was feeling a kind of anticipatory grief for a while. Do you know what that is?”
Caleb shook his head.
“I think I knew my old life was dying. So, when I lost my job, I lost Davis, and I wasn’t as devastated as I should’ve been. Because, in a way, I’d been grieving that life for a while now.”
He draped his arm along the back of the booth. “Have you heard from him at all since he left?”
She rolled her eyes slightly. “Just a message that I had until the end of January to get my stuff out of his condo. I don’t know. I’m not mad at him. Just a little relieved, I guess.”
“That’s a very mature way of looking at it, Emma.”
She shrugged. “What can I say, I’ve had a lot of time to think about it.” She took a bite of bread. “So, what will we do next if ice skating is out? Maybe a little window shopping? Or actual shopping?”
He grinned. “Oh, I have an itinerary planned, don’t you worry. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to show off my hometown to anyone, and I intend to take good advantage of it.”
She laughed. “By all means, take all the advantage you want.” She seemed to notice the innuendo only after the words were out of her mouth. “Within reason, of course.”
He covered his smile with a napkin. “But of course.”
* * * *
After they left Loaved Up, Caleb suggested that they walk through downtown. She’d noticed that there was only one stoplight through the center of town, so she readily agreed.
Snow began to lightly fall as they descended Silver Spring Street. “Is it a requirement that every business name be a pun?” She nodded to the hardware store, Missing Screw.
Caleb chuckled. “It’s actually in the town charter, yes.” He turned to find her staring at him incredulously. “I’m kidding, sorry. This place just loves puns. My uncle and cousin own the hardware store.” He pointed ahead to The Weird Sisters, the town’s metaphysical shop. “That’s not a pun.”
“It is a Shakespeare reference,” she retorted. She half-listened to his reply, her eyes drawn to the empty shop two over from The Weird Sisters.
“That’s the Ellis & Daughter headquarters there.” Caleb pointed next door. “No puns there.”
“It’s a cute little space,” Emma said.
“Just a small showroom with supplies and a place to meet clients. Our previous office was over in The Missing Screw. My cousin Dennis took over the business earlier this year and wanted it as his office. The whole thing was Sabrina’s idea, but then she jumped ship to work at Sky House.”
Emma’s gaze stayed focused on the empty shopfront. “Does she still work with the business?”
“Yes, usually more in the summer. We now have an assistant who helps run the business. I’ve taken over as a contractor, so we do okay.” He stepped closer to Emma. “It really is a cute little space, huh?”
A striped awning jutted out above the door. Writing that had faded too much to read had been scraped off the front door. It was painted slate gray, but scraps of a sunny yellow paint showed through where it was peeling. She cupped her hands to her face and peered in.
The shop was a shotgun space—straight up and down. She could see through the entire space. Shelves haphazardly lined the walls. At the rear of the store was an old-fashioned wooden table, likely serving as the cash rep.
“Whatcha looking at?” Caleb said. “Has another raccoon gotten loose?”
Her breath obscured the view into the shop. “This is the shop you were talking about, isn’t it? Y’know, for my hypothetical stationery store.”
“It’s small but could work in your case.”
A breeze blew down the street. Without thinking, she took a step toward him. His large body shielded her from the wind.
“Maybe it’s a silly dream, but it’s always been stored up in the back of my mind. It was always out of reach in the city. There are a lot of high-end stationery stores in DC.”
And New York, which was why Davis’ half-hearted promise to help her find space was nothing more than a trick to get her to go along with him. Even though Davis did very well for himself, opening a business like that in New York would’ve been out of reach without hefty investment.
But here…she wasn’t sure. She’d be the first to admit she was the type to hoard her money. Her chaotic upbringing had shown her that anything could change in a heartbeat. Being prepared helped stave off heartbreak.
Her savings were in decent shape. More than decent, she supposed. She invested and didn’t spend fruitlessly.
Caleb’s voice cut into her thoughts. “Well, this used to be the town’s running and outdoor shop. They moved to a bigger space around the corner. It’s been empty for a few months now.”
A shiver of excitement lit her up from head to toe. “It’s silly,” she said. “I’ve only been here for an hour, but it feels like someplace I could stay. Is that weird?” She gazed up to find his eyes already meeting hers. A secondary shiver rippled through her body.
“This is the kind of place you can fall in love with. I’m proud to call it my home.”
Another gust of wind blew down the street, sending Caleb’s hat flying away.
“Shit!”
He took off at a run, with Emma following. They both laughed as they ran, careful to avoid tourists casually strolling. He caught up to his hat in the middle of Silver Spring Street, where it had landed in a puddle.
He groaned as it dripped onto his hand. “Do you mind if we stop at my place so I can get another hat? It’s too cold out here to be without one.”
She blushed at what was likely a harmless invitation. But it’d been a very long time since any man had invited her back to his place, so her brain once again leaped out in front of her.
“It’s just around the corner. We can head to Broadmere Books after.”
She fell into step next to him. “Sure.”
“And just for your information, I have it on good authority that no one has shown a peep of interest in that space since the other shop left. But it is the only open space of that size in town. Making it a prime location.”
She laughed. “Way to indulge my delusions, Caleb.”
“You say delusions. I say dreams.” He flashed her another grin as he fished his keys out of his jeans pocket.
Oh, she was in a world full of trouble.