Chapter Four – Cadie
Cadie
“Thank you so much, Cadie. A crowd shouldn’t be coming in, so you won’t have to do much. Maybe sell a few things.”
Smiling, I motioned for Opal to head out the door. “Opal, I can handle this. I know how to use the register, and I hardly think a rush will come in an hour before we close.”
She looked past me and into the bakery, which only had two young ladies sitting at a table eating orange scones and drinking coffee.
“I promise, I’ve got this.”
Opal chewed on her lower lip. Katherine had already left, and Chelsea, the young high school girl Opal hired to work from one to three, had a fever and wasn’t able to come in today.
“Go, enjoy the time with your friends. I’ve got this.”
“And you remember the combo to the safe?” she whispered.
“I do. And you’re only going to be right down the street, so if I need anything, I will call you.”
“You’re sure you don’t mind me abandoning you like this? ”
I laughed. “You’re hardly abandoning me, Opal. Now go and enjoy yourself. I’ll start working on the Tigger cake.”
Her face finally relaxed. “Thank you, Cadie. I’ll check in with you in a little bit.”
Opal hurried out the door and down the street. Turning, I made my way over to the two ladies who were chatting.
“Did you ladies need anything else?”
The younger one looked up and smiled. “I would love another coffee, if you don’t mind?”
“Not at all.” I turned and faced the older woman. She wasn’t the younger girl’s mother; she wasn’t that much older, so I was guessing maybe they were sisters since they both had the same blue eyes. “May I get you another as well?”
She glanced at her nearly empty coffee cup and laughed. “Yes, and may I have one of those yummy-looking chocolate cupcakes?”
I winked. “I’ll bring two!”
Both women giggled and then quickly resumed their conversation as I headed to the counter. I poured them a fresh cup of coffee and brought it to their table with their cupcakes.
“Enjoy, and just let me know if you need anything else.”
The older woman smiled. “I’m sorry, I’m not sure we’ve been introduced.”
Returning the gesture with my own smile, I replied, “Cadie Waterford. I started working for Opal a few weeks back.”
“You’re the one who makes the amazing banana nut bread, right?” the younger one stated.
“That would be me. ”
“My name is Ashtyn, and this is my older sister, Jayme. Our parents own the Christmas tree farm right outside of town.”
“Oh, how nice! I can’t wait for Christmas.”
Jayme leaned in and asked, “Will it be your first one here in New York?”
“It will, indeed.”
Ashtyn lit up. “Will it be your first white Christmas?”
I let out a soft laugh. “No, I’ve had one or two.”
Both sisters deflated in their seats. When the bell above the door rang, we all turned. A very handsome man walked in. He looked in his early thirties, maybe, and his brown hair was neatly trimmed. He wore jeans and a long-sleeve shirt that showcased his toned body.
“Oh my gosh,” Jayme whispered. “What in the world is he doing here?”
“Maybe he heard you were back in town, Jayme!” Ashtyn said, excitement bubbling up as she bounced in her seat.
The gentleman went to the case and started to look at the few items we had left over.
“Do you think?” Jayme asked.
Turning to look at both women, I asked, “Who is he?”
Jayme continued to stare at the guy while Ashtyn looked at me with a gleeful look. It was obvious she liked to gossip.
Lowering her voice, she said, “That is Kian Carter.”
Frowning, I asked, “Kian Carter? Opal’s nephew?”
Ashtyn giggled. “Oh, yes. She’s his aunt. The Carters are very well known here in Moose Village. And very wealthy with a beautiful house overlooking the lake. Jayme and Kian dated in high school.”
“Hush!” Jayme said to her sister. “That was forever ago. ”
Ashtyn motioned for me to get closer. For some unknown reason, I wanted to know what she would say, so I leaned down. “He dumped her when he went off to college. He’s a big-time lawyer at his parents’ firm in New York City.”
I pulled back and stole a quick look at Jayme. She was still staring at Kian.
“Excuse me, ladies,” I said as I quickly approached the case. It was already rude of me not to have welcomed him, but I had to admit, I was a bit captivated like the two sisters had been.
“Good afternoon. Is there anything I can get for you?”
When he glanced up from where he was looking at the pastries, he opened his mouth to say something, but he froze and stared at me. For a moment, I panicked. Had he recognized me? It was impossible. I had never seen the man standing there before, and I would for sure remember someone with such beautiful brown eyes. Or maybe they were hazel.
Clearing his throat, he said, “I’m sorry. Is Opal around?”
“She left for the day.”
He nodded. “Do you have anything besides sweets?”
I raised a brow. “Did you mean to come into the bakery?”
Kian laughed. “Yes, I’m sorry.” He walked over to the counter by the register. Reaching his hand out, he said, “I’m Kian Carter, Opal’s nephew.”
I shook his hand. “Cadie, it’s nice to meet you. I believe I met your sister yesterday, Macy?”
He grinned, and I tried to ignore how it caused my stomach to dip. “Yes, Macy is my older sister.”
“Opal is just down the street with some friends. ”
Waving his hand about, he said, “That’s okay. I got into town late last night and hoped she could whip me up one of her famous sandwiches.”
Chewing on my lower lip, I knew I should keep my mouth shut, but before I could stop myself, I said, “I can make you up something if you would like. I made some chicken salad earlier today, and we have plenty left over. It is delicious on Opal’s sourdough bread.”
“You don’t mind?” Kian asked.
Smiling, I said, “Not at all. Can I get you a coffee or something to drink?”
He glanced back at the case. “I’ll have a coffee, black, and water. Also, I was told to get some banana nut bread. It’s supposed to be the best around.”
I felt my cheeks heat. “I don’t know about that, but, unfortunately, we are sold out.”
His eyes met mine, and he smiled. It was so brilliant I had to look away for a moment.
“That proves that it’s the best around then. Guess I’ll have to get here earlier if I want to try it out.”
I tried not to smile, but a blush threatened my cheeks. “If you’re going to be in town for a bit, I’ll hold some back for you.”
“Oh, definitely for a long bit. I’ve moved back to Moose Village.”
“From New York City?” I asked, instantly wishing I hadn’t.
His brows rose. “Opal been bragging about me again?”
Laughing, I motioned toward the table where Ashtyn and Jayme were sitting. Kian glanced over his shoulder, then turned back to me and sighed .
“I didn’t see them when I walked in. I have to admit, my eyes were on all the goodies.”
“I can’t blame you there. If you’d like to sit, I’ll get that coffee and sandwich for you.”
He grimaced. “If you don’t mind, I’ll head back to the kitchen and eat.”
I saw movement and looked over his shoulder. “If you were hoping to avoid them, you’re too late.”
“Kian! Kian Carter! I cannot believe you haven’t even said hello!” Jayme stated as she walked up. The second he turned and faced her, she threw herself into his arms.
Clearing my throat, I turned and headed to the kitchen to make Kian’s sandwich.
“What’s all the commotion out there?” Katherine asked.
Startled, I put my hand over my heart. “I thought you left for the day.”
“I did,” she said, putting her purse over her shoulder. “I forgot my keys, and I had walked down to The Book Nook and, when I was leaving, realized I had no car keys. No car keys means no house key.”
I chuckled and she shrugged.
“The commotion was Kian Carter came into the bakery and is speaking to Ashtyn and Jayme.”
Katherine’s eyes went wide. “Shut up! And Kian is actually speaking to Jayme?”
Shrugging, I said, “I’m not sure. He asked for something to eat, so I offered to make him a chicken salad sandwich.”
Setting her purse down, Katherine turned and grabbed an apron.
“What are you doing?” I asked.
Looking at me, she said, “That’s right, you wouldn’t know about the Kian and Jayme drama. ”
With a shake of my head, I cut two slices of the bread. “Nope.”
“Oh, Cadie, it was a juicy piece of gossip once upon a time! You see, Jayme and Kian were an item in high school. Nearly all of high school. Then, when they graduated, Kian broke up with her. Said he needed to concentrate on college and then law school. Well, the truth was, he found out that Jayme had been cheating on him with his….”
Her voice trailed off, so I looked up from where I put the chicken salad onto the bread. She stood there staring at me. I may not want people gossiping about me, but I was all here for the story of Kian and Jayme. I raised a brow.
“I knew you were into gossip!” Katherine said with a giggle.
“I am not into gossip,” I lied.
With a roll of her eyes, Katherine said, “Whatever. Jayme was cheating on Kian with his best friend!”
“Oh, wow,” I said, cutting the sandwich and placing it onto a chip plate.
Katherine reached for the sandwich. “I’ll take this out while you get his drink. I am dying to see what is happening out there right now.”
Before I could remind her she was off work, and Kian didn’t want to eat out there, she dashed out of the kitchen. I sighed, washed my hands, and headed back out front to get Kian’s coffee and water.
Kian was still standing at the front with Jayme talking a mile a minute as he wore a pained expression.
“I’ve got your sandwich!” Katherine called out.
Kian quickly moved around Jayme. “Wonderful! Thank you, Katherine. I’ll just take this and head on back to Opal’s office. ”
The disappointment on all three women’s faces nearly had me laughing. As he walked by, he looked at me and motioned toward the back. I nodded and followed him with his drinks.
Kian slid onto a stool and ate at one of the tables on the pastry side of the kitchen; well out of eyeshot if anyone were to look back into the kitchen.
I set the drinks down. “One black coffee and water for you.”
He smiled. “Thanks.”
“Didn’t want to catch up with your friends?”
He had been about to take a bite of his sandwich and paused. Then he laughed. “They’re hardly friends. The one who came up to me was my old girlfriend. We dated through almost all of high school. I had this whole plan about how we would go to college, and before I went to law school, I was going to ask her to marry me.”
“What happened?” I asked, wanting to hear it from him rather than Katherine.
“Found out she was cheating on me with my best friend.”
“I’m so sorry. That must have been hard.”
He chewed and nodded his head.
“Are you still friends with the guy?”
“Nah,” he said as he wiped his mouth. “I don’t even know where he is. His family moved from Moose Village not long after we graduated high school.”
“I’m sorry you lost a friend.”
Lifting his head, our eyes met. “I’m not. As far as I’m concerned, he wasn’t a friend.”
“Fair enough.”
I let out a breath. “Well, I should get back up front. Katherine isn’t even supposed to be working. I think she wanted some gossip when I told her who I was making the sandwich for and who was left in the bakery.”
I winked and Kian gifted me with a beautiful smile. “Thanks for the sandwich and the drinks.”
“Sure thing.”
Turning to walk back out front, he called out, “What was your name again?”
Glancing over my shoulder, I replied, “Cadie. With a C.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Cadie, with a C.”
“Same to you, Kian.”
When I spun around and headed back to the front, I reminded myself that no matter how handsome Kian Carter was, I had no business falling for anyone.