CHAPTER EIGHT
ANIKA
I step into the bakery, the sweet yeasty aroma wrapping around me. It smells like Heaven. Bakeries and cafes always remind me of my sister. She used to own one of her own a couple years back. It makes me miss her and I realize we haven’t spoken in a while.
Before she got married, we lived together and I saw her every day. But now she has her own family, her own life in New York. It makes me feel left behind in a sense. And we’ve drifted apart a little. I hate that. I pull my phone out as I wander over to the display case, dialing Emilia’s number.
She picks up on the first ring.
“Hey, little sis,” she says cheerfully. “I was just thinking about calling you.”
“Guess I beat you to it,” I say on a smile. “How are you?”
“I’m great. How are you?”
I lean down to admire the rows of perfectly glazed doughnuts. Those look amazing. I gesture at the ones I want, mouthing to the attendant that I’d like to get them packed up. She does so and I refocus on my sister on the other line.
“I’m currently standing in front of six perfect donuts just waiting to be devoured.”
“Try not to eat them all at the same time. Easy on the sweet treats, Nika, you’ll get a toothache.”
“Yes, mom,” I say fondly. “How’s my niece and nephew?”
“They’re both still handfuls to take care of. And when I say them both, I really just mean Stella. Sean’s a complete angel.”
“That’s nice. And how’s Mr. Grumpy?”
“Hey, don’t call him a grump,” she defends her husbands. “He’s much happier this days.”
“I’m sure he is,” I laugh. “And you’re right. I think there’s someone else more deserving of that title now.”
“Who?” my sister asks curiously.
“No one,” I reply. “That’s not important. I miss you.”
“I miss you too, Nika. Which is why I’ve got great news. We’re coming to Edenton next month,” she announces. “Sterling and I decided we’d spend the rest of the kids’ summer break over there. It’ll be fun to be around family again. I also think Sterling’s been missing Carson. And I know he wants to catch up with Nathan Wolfe as well. I’m curious about the community center they’re both working on.”
I ignore the flutter in my stomach at her casual mention of my arch nemesis. I haven’t heard anything from Nathan Wolfe in over a week. He didn’t reply to my note which suits me perfectly. I’d prefer going about living my life pretending he doesn’t exist.
But unfortunately he also takes up too much space in my head for me to pretend to be unaffected by him.
“The center’s big. That’s really all you need to know about it,” I say dryly.
“It sounds great. I’m surprised you’re not more excited. This is exactly the kind of thing you love. I thought you’d be more involved.”
She’s right. The center is the kind of place that would have made my dreams come through when I was younger. Now it feels like a symbol of everything I’ve been unable to achieve.
In the back of my mind I hear a gruff, familiar male voice call out, “Kara!”
But I’m too focused on my conversation with my sister.
“No, I’m good, Emilia. Plus the center is Carson’s thing. I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
I balance the box of doughnuts in one hand and my phone to my ear with the other, turning around to leave. A small whirlwind brushes past me in the form of a little girl and in the next second I feel a sudden bump that jolts through me. Starling me enough that I lose my grip on the box. In an instant, my sugary delicious treats cascade on to the tiled floor.
I feel my heart crack. When I look at my assailant, my eyes collide with dark ones, opened wide, and attached to the face of the man I can’t stop thinking about.
“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I say, at the same time he mutters, “Shit.”
“Of course it’s you. Seriously! Why can’t you leave me alone, Wolfe?!” I exclaim, dropping to my knees to pick up the scattered doughnuts.
I subconsciously place my phone down on the floor, my conversation with Emilia pushed to the back of my mind as I try to clear up the mess.
“You don’t own the bakery, Anika,” Nathan states, crouching down as well. “I’m not here for you.”
His presences overwhelms me and I’m made ultra-aware of every inch of him as he shifts closer to help me pack the doughnuts back up. He smells really great too, everything about him just seems so obnoxiously perfect it’s annoying.
“I haven’t heard an apology for bumping into me,” I point out as I grab a doughnut carefully placing it back in the box.
At least the floor’s clean, thank God.
“And you’re not going to cause we bumped into each other,” he retorts.
He’s such a child, I swear. We both reach for the last doughnut at the same time causing our fingers to brush against each other. I flinch back at the contact, feeling a spark of electricity move over me.
That was…. weird.
He’s opening his mouth to say something when a small sweet voice speaks.
“My daddy’s sorry. He didn’t mean to bump into you.”
I look behind me to find the most adorable brown haired, green eyed little girl staring at me and Nathan, who’s mumbling something under his breath as he stands to his feet. I rise as well, clutching my box of doughnuts in one hand as I look dumbfounded at the little girl.
She looks around 8 or 9 and she’s wearing a dress with Barbie written boldly across it. Her brown hair is in two pigtails. But the jarring aspect is just how much she looks like her dad. Except her eye color, she could pass as his twin. It’s adorable.
“Hey, sweetie,” I greet, all my anger melting off in an instant as I turn my attention to the little girl. “What’s your name?”
“Kara,” she replies confidently. “What’s your name?”
Not a hint of shyness from meeting a stranger in her expression. She’s a bold little girl.
“I’m Anika,” I tell her, stretching my hand towards her for a shake. “It’s nice to meet you, little Wolfe.”
I had no idea Nathan had a daughter. But there’s no denying that the little girl beside him is his. And it would seem she’s protective over her daddy because she shifts closer to him and levels me with a hard look.
“My dad only bumped into you because I ran into the store. He was coming after me,” she says defensively.
I smile, “You’re tough aren’t you?”
“Yes, like my dad,” she returns.
Wolfe watches the interaction silently, his expression blank. Although I do notice some warmth in his eyes when he looks at his daughter.
“The doughnuts are fine so I guess no harm no foul. And since you already apologized for your daddy,” I say on a smirk, glancing at his face. “It’s all good now.”
“Not yet. You also need to say sorry,” she states.
“Excuse me?” I laugh.
“Dad’s right, you bumped into him too, which means you also weren’t looking where you were going. I think you owe him an apology.”
My lips part as I stare down at her, “How old are you?” I ask amused.
“Eight and a half,” she replies proudly. “My birthday’s in February.”
“I’ve definitely never being railed on by an eight year old before.”
“Eight and a half,” she corrects. “Now, are you going to apologize?”
“Damn, little Wolfe. Slow down.”
Nathan clears his throat and I realize I probably shouldn’t be saying ‘damn’ in front of her. Oops . I ignore him, keeping my eyes fixed on the little terror.
“It’s not fair though,” I point out. “You said sorry for your daddy but there’s no one to say sorry for me.”
“If you have a daughter then she can say sorry for you,” the little girl decides.
“Unfortunately I don’t have a daughter,” I inform her, “But I do have a nephew and a niece. My nephew, Sean is around your age.”
Which reminds me. I was on a call with Emilia. I bend to pick up my phone and my eyes widen when I see the call’s still going on.
“You didn’t hang up?” I whisper shout as I place the phone on my ear, hyper aware of the eight year old and her daddy who are still staring at me.
“Of course not. That was an interesting conversation I just heard,” Emilia replies on a laugh. “Quick question. The Wolfes’ you’re talking to wouldn’t happen to be Nathan Wolfe and his daughter would it?”
“Yeah it’s them,” I murmur.
“Perfect. I was going to talk to Nathan anyway. Put me on speaker.”
“What? No,” I refute.
“Anika,” my sister says, her tone serious. “Put me on speaker now.”
My eyes narrow but I do as she says, shifting closer to the father and daughter after putting the phone on speaker.
“They can hear you now,” I inform her.
“Great. Hey Kara. It’s Emilia. Remember me? We met when your dad brought you to New York a couple months ago.”
Kara’s eyes brighten with recognition, “Hi, aunt Emilia. How are you? How’s Seanie?”
“He’s great actually. I think he misses you.”
So the little girl knows my nephew? This entire interaction is giving me a headache. I didn’t realize Nathan and Sterling were that close.
“I miss him too,” she says sweetly.
“We’re coming to town soon so you’ll get to see him again. And Kara?”
“Yeah?”
“My sister’s sorry. I said it for her so it counts right?” she says calling back to our earlier conversation.
“She’s your sister?” Kara asks with wide eyes.
“Yes.”
“Okay then I forgive her. Because I like her shoes. They have flowers on them” she states looking down at my feet. “Your sister’s pretty, aunt Emilia.”
My heart warms. There’s no way anyone would be even remotely capable of hating this little girl. She’s a bundle of perfect sunshine but she’s strict too, like her dad.
“Thank you, I know she is,” my sister replies with a smile in her voice.
“Hey, how’d we go from you fighting for me to you calling her pretty?” Nathan asks speaking up for the first time.
His daughter looks up at him, big green eyes fixed with determination.
“Daddy, are you saying she isn’t pretty?”
Nathan’s frown deepens and he gives his daughter a betrayed look. A laugh bubbles out of my throat but I disguise it as a laugh as I wait for his answer.
“How is that relevant?” he mutters.
Kara doesn’t back down and it’s nice to see her grilling her dad just as hard as she grilled me.
“Fine,” he relents. “She’s pretty.”
“And she has nice hair,” his daughter prompts.
“Yes, she has nice hair,” she agrees.
I’m this close to losing it. This close. He glares at me when a small giggle escapes.
“Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Wolfe. I appreciate it.”
“Can I go get my treat now?” Kara asks, obviously bored of the conversation.
“Yeah, go check what you want. I’ll join you in a minute.”
She walks over to the display case leaving me and her father alone. Well not totally alone.
“Em, you still there?” I ask, looking down at the phone in my hand.
“Yeah I am. I wanted to talk to Nathan about something.”
“I’m listening.”
“Hi, Nathan. I’m about to ask for a huge favor,” my sister starts. “Please say yes.”
“After I hear the favor,” he mutters.
“That’s fair. Anyway, so I’m not sure about your relationship with my sister-”
“There’s no relationship,” I interject.
“Hush,” she says to me. I roll my eyes, actively dreading her next words. Emilia’s not usually a meddler but when she meddles, it’s always extreme.
“As I was saying, I’m not sure what’s going on between you two but I was wondering if you needed any help with the art exhibition. I remember Sterling mentioned that it’s the most important aspect of the community center’s opening to you. I don’t know if you’ve hired anyone yet but Anika would be perfect at helping you set things up. No one in Edenton knows art better than her.”
My mouth drops open, “What the fuck, Em?”
“Did Nathan hear what I said?” she asks ignoring me.
I look up at the man in question. His eyebrow’s quirked and he doesn’t look annoyed like I’d been expecting. Maybe a little amused?
“Your sister really thinks we’d be able to work well together?”
“She’s insane. Ignore everything she said,” I quickly say.
“Hey,” she protests. “Don’t ignore me. I’m being serious, Nika. It’s the perfect job for you. Who knows it might help you find inspiration to paint again.”
“Okay,” I mutter, “That’s enough, sissy. I’m going to hang up now and we’ll be having a serious conversation about boundaries later.”
I hang up the call and then proceed to glare at my phone for a couple of seconds.
“Miss Cameron?” Nathan calls.
“Wait,” I state, raising a hand in the air to stop him. “I need to make sure she’s really gone.”
I hear him release a small huff that sounds suspiciously like a laugh. When I look at him, his lips are pulled up in a small smirk. It suits him, better than the scowls. It also makes him more attractive which is so not necessary right now.
“You really don’t need to take that seriously,” I tell him. “I’m not interested in working for you.”
“It would be a disaster,” he agrees. “What did your sister mean though? About you needing inspiration to paint again?”
I cock my head to the side, “You know I think I have you pegged as a guy who doesn’t care much about other people that aren’t you. And your daughter of course,” I add. “Then you surprise me. Mind your own business, Wolfe. I’m serious.”
He shrugs, “I’ve seen some of your art. It’s beautiful. I was just wondering why you stopped.”
He’s seen my art? I don’t know why I’m surprised. I sold my pieces online for years. And there were pretty well known. It would be weird if I hadn’t seen them.
Still, that doesn’t mean I appreciate him prying.
“I’m going to leave now,” I tell him in lieu of replying.
“Would you like me to replace them?” he asks confusing me. “Your donuts.”
He gestures at the box in my hand.
“Oh no it’s fine. I’m sure they’re still good. But I really have to go.”
What was meant to be a quick pastry breakfast run has turned into a clusterfuck of an encounter. I’m not even surprised. Every interaction with Nathan Wolfe fucks with my brain.
“Of course. I’ll see you around,” he says to me.
“Hopefully not,” I retort before looking towards the little girl waiting for her dad by the display case. “Bye, soldier princess.”
She seems to like the nickname. She should, the girl is tough as nails while also managing to be adorable. I love that. She giggles before waving at me, “Bye.”
I leave the bakery, feeling the weight of Nathan’s eyes on me as I do so.