Chapter Twelve – Cadie
Cadie
It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since Kian moved back into this parents’ house, and I swore people looked at me differently. I hated working the front end. Not that I hated dealing with people, I loved people, but when you’re hiding out, the last thing you want is attention being drawn to you. And for some reason, I felt like I had a blinking sign over my head that said, I think Kian Carter is hot as fuck, and I want to jump his bones .
If only I could call Lauryn and talk to her about Kian. About my feelings for him and how freaking confusing all of this was. I hated that I couldn’t tell people more about myself. I hated that I couldn’t pick up the phone and call my mother in Italy and tell her about this darling little town.
“Cadie?”
The sound of Opal’s voice nearly had me jumping over the counter. My hand went to my chest, and I let out a nervous bubble of laughter.
“You scared me.”
With a tilt of her head and a look of worry on her face, she asked, “Is everything okay? You were lost in thought and didn’t hear me saying your name. ”
I quickly thought of a lie. “I’m so sorry; I was thinking about next week’s menu and had an idea for a featured dessert.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, what is it?”
“Um,” I said, searching my brain for a recipe. Luckily, I was saved when the bell above the door rang, and an older gentleman walked in. He was handsome, with dark hair that had streaks of gray running through it. The most beautiful blue eyes, and when he smiled, a dimple appeared on his right cheek.
Opal stiffened next to me and drew in a sharp breath. I turned to look at her and placed my hand on her arm. Her face had drained of all color, and she looked like she was about to faint.
“Opal? Are you okay?”
Placing her hand over mine, she forced a smile. Leaning in, she whispered, “Please don’t leave.”
“I won’t,” I replied before looking at the man still standing at the front entrance.
“Good afternoon,” I said with a pleasant smile. “Welcome to Batter Up Bakery.”
He smiled and looked around the bakery before he focused his attention back on Opal.
“Opal.”
He said her name almost as a plea. I looked at Opal and she seemed to regain her composure. She stood straighter, dropped her hand from mine, and cleared her throat. “Jake, what a surprise.”
My head snapped back to look at Jake. Did Opal know him? Clearly, she did; she said his name, and he said hers.
Looking between the two, I had to break the strange silence. “You know each other? ”
The older man, Jake as she’d called him, let out a lighthearted laugh. “We’re old friends.”
“Friends?” Opal repeated with a hint of anger in her voice.
He shrugged and made his way closer to us. Stopping at the counter, he lowered his voice and said, “Should I say old lovers?”
I gasped and looked around the bakery. Even though I knew no one was there, his directness still shocked me.
“I’m sorry; what did you just say?” I asked him.
Opal gently took my arm and stepped in front of me. “Jake, what in the world are you doing here?”
He smiled, and the way his eyes lit up when he looked at Opal made me feel a strange pain in my chest.
“I thought I saw you the other night, and finally found the courage to come into the bakery. You look…wonderful, Opal.”
“Thank you,” she said curtly. “Why are you here? In Moose Village.”
He smiled. “My daughter lives here with her husband and little girl. My son-in-law is from Moose Village, and they decided to move here from New York City for the small-town living.”
“Really?” Opal said with a fake smile. “Does that mean we will be seeing you more often?”
“I hope so.”
When their silence became awkward, I asked, “Where do you live, Mr. …?”
Jake held out his hand. “I’m sorry for being so rude. It’s Jake Magoffin. I live in New York City.”
I shook his hand. “And how do you know our Opal? ”
I wished I could have taken it back the second I asked it because his declaration of them being former lovers made my entire face heat.
“We dated many years ago,” Opal stated. “Jake here grew up in Lake Placid.”
“Oh,” I said with way too much excitement in my voice. “How lovely.”
He nodded and gave me a warm smile before focusing back on Opal. “Opal, can we please talk?”
“Talk? I’m so sorry, Jake. I am swamped with special orders and preparing things for tomorrow. Please make yourself at home and order what you like on the house.”
Opal turned and looked at me. “Cadie, please take care of Mr. Magoffin, will you?”
My eyes bounced between the two of them. “Sure. Yes, of course.”
And without looking backward in Jake’s direction, Opal walked to the back of the bakery.
Jake watched her walk away, then looked at me and gave me the saddest smile.
“Is there anything you would like?”
He shook his head. “No, I’m afraid it’s long since passed for that.”
Confused, I asked, “I’m sorry?”
Jake cleared his throat and said, “It was a pleasure meeting you, Cadie. It’s a small town, so I’ll surely see you again.”
“I’m sure you will.”
Jake started to walk off, and I called for him. “Wait! Would you like to bring something home for your granddaughter? ”
He turned and grinned. “You know, I think she would love that. I’ll let you pick it out. She’s almost one and her name is Winnie.”
“Like as in Pooh?”
He laughed. “Yes. My daughter Hope was obsessed with Winnie the Pooh growing up and always said if she had a little girl, she would name her Winnie.”
“I think the name is adorable. How about a couple of macarons and a chocolate croissant?”
A sad expression moved across Jake’s face, but it was gone as fast as it appeared. “She’d love that. Thank you.”
After packing up the desserts for his granddaughter, I watched Jake leave the bakery. With his hand on the doorknob, he paused momentarily before opening the door and leaving.
I stood there and stared at the door.
Whispering to no one in particular, I said, “I guess I’m not the only one with a secret.”
Main Street was abuzz, with everyone from small children to adults participating in the spring scavenger hunt. The bakery was busier than I’d ever seen it, so the last few days I had been coming in earlier than usual to help Opal bake everything for not only the storefront, but also the booth that was set up on Main Street down near where the spring fling dance was being held that night.
Katherine walked into the kitchen and asked, “A customer is asking if we can do an emergency first birthday smash cake. ”
Opal stared at Katherine like she was insane. Before she could respond, I asked, “What flavors are they wanting? Just a plain smash cake?”
With a nod, Katherine said, “Yep, just a smash cake, nothing fancy. As far as flavors, they said chocolate or vanilla; they’re not picky. Opal made the actual birthday cake already, but her mother-in-law told her she needed a smash cake and said the mother-in-law wouldn’t, and I quote, ‘Shut the hell up about the smash cake.’ End quote.”
Opal and I both giggled.
“I’ve got a chocolate cake I took out this morning. When does she need it by?”
“The party is tomorrow, Sunday.”
“Oh, is that Hope out there?” Opal asked.
Katherine nodded. “The one and only. She looks desperate.”
“I can have it ready for her before we close. I’m about caught up here, and decorating it won’t take long.” I turned to Opal. “It was a princess cake, right?”
She nodded. “White and pink.”
Facing Katherine, I said, “I can do that.”
A wide smile broke out over her face. If there was one thing about Katherine that I had picked up on early since working here, she had difficulty saying no to people. Her blonde hair swung in her ponytail as she quickly exited the kitchen to deliver the good news.
“That was nice of you, Cadie,” Opal stated from behind me.
“It’s not a problem. It won’t take me long to decorate it. I’ll just do something…princess-like with the frosting.”
Opal smiled. “Princess-like? ”
I nodded.
“I can’t wait to see this.”
Katherine popped her head in and said, “Today at three, okay?”
Glancing at the clock, I nodded. It was one thirty, so that gave me plenty of time. “Sounds good.”
I quickly got to work finishing up the last batch of biscotti and decorated the last of the red velvet cupcakes before I placed the chocolate cake on my decorating station. I stared at it for a few moments, then got to work. I could feel Opal’s eyes on me now and then, but she left me alone and didn’t offer any suggestions, which I appreciated. I remembered that the four-tier cake Opal had designed also had some butterflies along the bottom since it was the little girl’s favorite thing besides being a princess, so I incorporated that into my decorations as well. At two-fifty, I stepped back and looked at the cake. I had done pink and white swirled rosettes on the cake and added a few little butterflies that could quickly be taken off before the baby smashed into the cake.
“That is beautiful, Cadie.”
I turned to Opal and felt my cheeks heat. “Thank you. I thought all the frosting with the rosettes would make it more fun for her to put her hands in.”
She nodded. “Yes, I agree. I like the butterfly touch.”
“I just remembered seeing them on the cake you did.”
“No, I think it’s a lovely idea, and this cake will look beautiful next to the other one. Well done.”
“She’s here!” Katherine called out as she poked her head into the kitchen. I picked up the cake and carried it to the front. The young mother gasped when she saw it. I couldn’t help but notice how tired she looked. She had circles under her eyes, her hair was falling out of her bun, and her blue eyes seemed like a storm in the middle of the ocean. I instantly felt bad for her.
“Oh my goodness. That’s so pretty I don’t want her to smash it.”
I smiled. “Nonsense. Let her dig those little hands all into it. You only get to turn one once!”
The woman looked up at me and smiled. “Winnie is going to love it.”
My smile faded briefly before I asked, “You’re Jake’s daughter?”
She looked up from the cake in surprise. “I am. How do you know my father?”
“Oh.” I looked behind me, but Opal wasn’t there. Facing her again, I said, “He, um, he came in here the day before yesterday and mentioned Winnie.”
“Right! He brought home some goodies for Winnie. He’s in town for her birthday party.”
“That’s wonderful,” I said as I felt Opal before I saw her.
“Hi there, Hope. So Jake Magoffin is your father?”
“Hey, Opal,” Hope said as I took the cake box from Katherine and started to put the cake in there. “Yes, he mentioned you two knew each other once upon a time.”
Opal nodded as Hope went on.
“He’s in town for a few weeks since we don’t get to see him very often since moving to Moose Village. I think the best thing we could have ever done was to move to Liam’s hometown. It’s wonderful here.”
I could tell Opal was forcing her smile. “How nice for you all and yes, I remember Liam from when he was little and used to come in here with his mother, Judith. ”
It was Hope’s turn to force a smile.
“Well, I do hope Winnie has a wonderful birthday,” Opal said, this time her smile reaching her eyes.
Hope sighed. “I do, too, but my mother-in-law is stressing me out.”
“Judith can be…something else,” Opal stated with a wink.
I reached for her hand and gave it a light squeeze. “It’s your daughter’s birthday, not hers. Let her advice go in one ear and out the other, and if you have to, you simply tell her you appreciate her input, but you’ve got everything under control.”
Her eyes went wide, then her face softened. “That is excellent advice, and I think I will do just that. Thank you…um…”
I slid the cake box toward her. “Cadie.”
Her tired eyes lit up for the briefest of moments. “Thank you so much, Cadie.”
“Of course. Anytime.”
I watched as Hope walked out of the bakery. I felt a strange connection to the woman and couldn’t pinpoint what drew me to her.
“She’s beautiful,” Opal softly said next to me.
Nodding, I said, “She looks like her father. Was it just me or did she look…exhausted?”
“She did, but having a one-year-old and Judith for a mother-in-law can’t be easy.”
Opal drew in a deep breath and exhaled. I turned to face her. “Are you okay?”
She smiled. “I am. I’ll tell you the whole story one of these days. ”
Her smile faded as she looked back at the door. A look of worry on her face.
“Is her mother-in-law that bad?”
Opal chuckled. “Judith Turner is a piece of work. Next to Betty Lou, she is the next big gossip in town.”
“I’ll have to remember that. Has she ever been in the bakery before?”
Laughing, Opal replied, “Oh, heavens no. She has people for that.”
Opal used air quotes when she said the word people.
“People?” I asked.
“The Turners are right up there in wealth. As a matter of fact, Judith and my sister, Lacy, were very competitive while growing up.”
“Do you come from a wealthy family as well?” I asked, not sure why I would ask something so rude. “I’m sorry, that was out of line for me to ask that.”
Opal laughed. “I don’t mind at all. My mother and father were middle-class, but someone forgot to inform my sister, Lacy. She acted as if she was a member of the Carter family from birth. The other wealthy families in the Moose Lake area are the Grants and the Banks. The Banks are property rich, for lack of better words. They own property all over the United States. It is mostly in Boston, New York City, San Fransico, and Seattle. The Grants are bankers.”
“Wait. Is Sally a member of the Grant family?”
Smiling, Opal replied, “She is, indeed.”
“But…”
I let my words trail off.
“She works for the Carters. Yes, she has for years. Started as a nanny to Macy. She was a stubborn girl and didn’t want to have anything to do with her parents’ money. She loved kids and taught as the kindergarten teacher at Moose Village Elementary for a few years before Lacy approached her about coming to work for their family. Truth be told, the best thing my sister could have ever done for her children was hire Sally. She is why Macy, Kian, and Mark turned out the way they did.”
“I’ve only had the one encounter with Macy, and I haven’t met Mark yet.”
Opal reached for my hand. “Don’t let that first impression of Macy make you think ill of her. She’s a good cookie, just a bit overprotective of those she loves. And, well, Mark…I’m not sure you will meet him anytime soon, but that’s a story for another day.”
I patted her on the arm in understanding. “Well, I’m going back to the kitchen to clean up.”
“Are you going to the dance this evening?” Opal asked.
“The Spring Fling?” I asked. When Opal nodded, I laughed. “I don’t think so. I plan on finishing up here and heading back to the house.”
“Oh, I hate to see you not enjoying yourself. The Spring Fling dance is a must to attend.”
“I’m sure it is a blast, but I don’t know anyone, and…well…it’s a dance!”
“As pretty as you are, you will not have a problem with someone asking you to dance.”
I felt my cheeks heat as I pushed a strand of loose hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear. “You’re sweet for saying that. Maybe next year.”
Opal looked like she wanted to say something but simply nodded. Turning, I headed to the kitchen and couldn’t ignore the part of me that longed to go to the dance. But I knew I’d be safer and better off back at the house helping Sally with the pasta she made for dinner.