Chapter 2
Felicity
“It’s your turn.”
“No, it’s your turn.” I folded my arms over my chest and tapped my foot. “I went last time. You had to go pick up the pies. I’m not walking in there and dealing with that woman.”
“You won’t get eye-fucked or yelled at or sneered at or maybe all three at once.
” Rune shook his head as he wiped down the counter of the bar.
“Excuse me, I may not get eye-fucked—because that’s totally something I want to think about in terms of my brother—” I ignored Rune’s chuckle and continued.
“But I still have to deal with her. She’s meaner to women than she is to men.
Yet walking into Ashy Buns is a rite of passage for holidays and events for our family. Why can’t Mom just bake her own pies?”
That time, Rune threw his head back and laughed, and I winced, hoping that Mom wasn’t anywhere near. “Do you remember the last time she tried?” Rune asked, his voice tinged with humor.
Memories of that evening haunted me, and I nearly went queasy once again.
“Yes. And Thatcher had a great time making sure that all of our smoke alarms were ready to go for the next time she tried to bake.” The idea that the current fire captain was on call for my mother’s baking was a mix of humor and cringe for sure.
I shook my head, remembering the smoke and burned blueberry smell, even though my mother had been trying to bake cherry pies.
My mother was an amazing cook. She could also bake cookies, cupcakes, and breads. But she could not bake a pie or cake to save her life. I didn’t know why cupcakes were so easy for her and not pies or tarts or even a full cake, but that was my mother.
“Why didn’t you bake one for the family dinner, then?” Rune asked.
“Because I got Mother’s baking gene,” I said dryly. “You’re the one who can cook.”
My brother smirked. “Maybe, but I don’t do pies. Just go to Ashy Buns and pick up our order. Please?”
“I’m making Atlas do it next time. No matter if he’s out of town or not. I’m going to force him to drive here, so he has to deal with that woman.”
Rune chuckled. “Deal. I’m sure he will legit get on a plane, maybe even one of his friends’ private planes, and get his ass over here just to deal with that woman.”
“Do I want to know who that woman is?” a stranger asked, and my cheeks heated.
“Sorry. I just realized that we are in a public space talking about this.”
The woman waved her hand at me. “Oh, don’t worry. Although you just said the name Ashy Buns, right?”
I cringed. “I’m sorry if you’re a tourist to our lovely and welcoming town, and I’m being a terrible introduction to Ashford Creek. We really are nice people. I promise.”
“Is that our new slogan? Trying to placate people?” Rune asked, his voice vacant of emotion.
“No, really, I went in there for a coffee this morning, and a woman with blonde hair and a pinched expression raked me over the coals when I asked if they had any caramel flavoring. I mean, it was on the board, and I thought I could ask for it, but no. Apparently, caramel flavoring was only for special customers.” The woman rolled her eyes as Rune chuckled, and I shook my head, trying not to laugh.
“I’m Keely, by the way. And I just moved to town, so I really hope that Ashy Buns isn’t the full introduction of Ashford Creek. ”
“I am so sorry about that. I don’t know what is up with her or why she hates people so much.
But nobody’s been able to pry that stick out of her butt since before I was born,” I said after a moment, then I held out my hand.
“I’m Felicity. This is my brother Rune.” I gestured towards my brother, wondering why he was so growly today.
Rune just lifted his chin. “Welcome to Ashford Creek. We don’t usually get transplants that move here without knowing the lay of the land.”
Keely beamed at the dryness of his tone. “I wouldn’t think so. You aren’t completely on I-70. You have to go through a couple of back roads to get here, but there was an opening for a job, and I needed one. So it all worked out.”
“Where are you working?” I asked. I leaned against the bar, ignoring my brother’s pointed looks. Yes, I needed to go pick up the pies so we could make it to family dinner, but I would deal with that later. Any time I could avoid Ashy Buns was a legitimate use of time.
Keely practically bounced in her seat. “I just got a job at High Country Bed and Breakfast. They were looking for a chef, and I had the experience, and frankly, working at a small-town bed-and-breakfast is seriously the dream. I thought I would have to wait years and save up and build one of my own at some point. But Promise needed a chef since her old one moved away, and here I am.”
My eyes widened. “Oh, I love that place. And Promise is amazing.”
“You know her?” Keely asked before she shook her head, laughing. “Of course you do. It’s Ashford Creek. I will learn this small-town thing eventually.”
“Honestly, I’m surprised we haven’t heard through the grapevine that you were hired,” Rune said, his brows furrowed. “When did you move here?”
“Technically, today’s my first full day in town.
” Keely blushed. “I start work tomorrow, or at least prep, to make sure that I can fit into what the old chef needs and find my own way. But Promise is fantastic, and the kitchen staff already looks welcoming. Which is always scary when you show up as a head chef to a former chef’s staff.
Not that you need to know all that information. Sorry, I ramble when I’m nervous.”
“There’s no need to be nervous,” I said as I patted her hand. “Welcome to Ashford Creek. And I know Promise has been on the hunt for help for a while now. She’s fantastic.”
Keely’s eyes filled with tears, and I nearly did the same. “She really is. I don’t know how she’s been doing all of that on her own, and I know she’s a single mom. She must not sleep.”
I shook my head, thinking of the twin girls I adored and didn’t see often enough these days.
“I don’t think she sleeps, and thankfully, our town is a decent community, and we all help where we can.
Plus, while she is a single mom, she doesn’t have the twins every evening.
So it works out, and she gets to have that thing called sleep. ”
“She mentioned her ex is in the picture. I don’t know if I could be that cool with an ex. But then again, with children in the picture, it makes sense. Plus, she must have liked the guy at some point. He couldn’t be all that bad.”
“He’s our friend, just like Promise is, so it works,” Rune finally put in.
Keely blushed. “And look at me, stepping into gossip and being a dork. I am sorry. Anyway, thanks for the welcome, and thank you for the fantastic chicken strips.” She pointed at her empty basket.
Rune snorted. “You can probably hook up something better than fried food.”
“Maybe. But chicken strips and onion rings while sitting at a bar and having a nice beer before I head back to my house to go unpack are actually some of the best things in the world. And if I’m not mistaken, these are freshly battered, aren’t they?”
My brother merely shrugged. “Maybe. Not everything comes from a box.”
“See? Perfection. And I’ve never heard of this beer before. I’m going to have to see if I can find it in the store.”
Rune shook his head. “It’s a local brewery, and they may have it sometimes in the main grocery, but it’s hard to come by unless you go to the brewery itself. It’s just down the street.”
My heart raced, thinking about that brewery owner, and I nearly kicked myself. Why was I bothering to think about Callum again? It wasn’t as if he liked me. He just liked ordering me around.
He didn’t actually see me as a woman.
“Oh. Really? I love that. I’ll have to see how that all works.”
“Felicity here can probably help you with that.”
I froze, wondering exactly what Rune meant by that. Because I wanted to see Callum? Because I wanted to go to the brewery?
But when I looked into his eyes, I realized he had a whole other reason for pushing me in this direction.
Because I needed friends.
I would’ve felt ridiculous and embarrassed that my brother was trying to set me up on a friend date, but frankly, he wasn’t wrong.
“Let’s exchange numbers, and I will totally take you to the brewery.”
“That’s wonderful. I’m so glad that I came in here.” Felicity rattled off her number, and we quickly exchanged them, and I smiled.
“I’m glad you did too. And now I have to go into the belly of the beast.”
“Goddess speed,” Felicity teased, and Rune saluted me.
I waved at them, nodding at a few other people that I knew from town, and made my way to the bakery. Seriously, who the hell named a bakery Ashy Buns? Maybe it was just because it mirrored her soul. Ashy, like the devil’s wasteland.
I was going to have to remember that so I could tell Rune later. He would laugh.
Maybe.
I turned into the bakery, ignoring the high-pitched bell as I walked inside.
There were a few people milling about, enjoying late afternoon coffees and pastries, and of course, the owner was behind the counter.
She couldn’t be in the back, making a glorious pie.
It galled me that this woman with such a bitter attitude could make the sweetest and most delicate pastries and pies I’d ever eaten.
Maybe she pushed out all of her sweetness and gentleness into her baked goods, and it only left her brittle edges behind.
There were a couple of people I didn’t recognize at the counter, and Fiona gave them a bright smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes as she handed over their pastries after they paid.
I moved forward, heart in hand, praying that she was in a better mood than usual.
“Felicity Carter. It’s about time you showed up. I was about to sell your pies.”
“I didn’t realize that you were closing so early. Or that times were tough. I’m so sorry about that. Here, let me help you with your burden.”