Chapter 11 Caroline
CAROLINE
Present Day
The lunch crowd swarmed the bakery. Kids grabbed at parents’ hands, moms jerked their heads back and forth between siblings, and dads were ordering one of everything just to keep the peace.
Groups of women huddled around the tables, and some people sat alone with their earbuds, hunched over laptops and tablets.
The Christmas season was in full swing, and Caroline needed all hands on deck. She turned and grabbed a mocha latte from Skye before handing it to a red-haired woman with a smile. “Here you go. Merry Christmas!”
“Mom! Look at the reindeer!”
The kids loved the life-size reindeer Caroline set in the corner for a photo op with the Christmas decorations every year. Tiny colored lights wound around its antlers. The rest of The Cakery was filled with nutcrackers, Santa Claus figurines, and garland.
Christmas was Caroline’s favorite time of the year, but it was tough to enjoy when it was the busiest time at the bakery.
She swiped a few stray hairs behind her ear as she greeted the next customer in line. “Hello! What kind of sugar rush—”
Alicia waved a hand. “Did you forget about me?”
Caroline jerked her arm up to check the time. “Donut holes, is it lunchtime already?” The line hadn’t dwindled all day, and she’d barely stopped to smell the cupcakes.
Clasping her hands, Alicia kept a patient smile on her face. “You’re taking a lunch break today. I know you’ve been skipping them.”
“I’m not skipping them. I just…forget to stop and eat.”
Alicia stalked behind the counter and through the door leading to the kitchen. A second later, she reappeared with Mrs. Burrows in tow. “Got your register coverage. Let’s go.”
Caroline plastered on a strained smile for Mrs. Burrows. The older woman was as sweet as a cinnamon roll and loved the bakery as much as Caroline did. “Sorry. I promise I’ll be right back as soon as I swallow an apple.”
Mrs. Burrows waved her off. “Take your time. I did this for thirty years.”
Alicia grabbed Caroline’s wrist and whisked her toward the front entrance. “We have a table waiting at Flapjacks.”
“Oh, so this is a pre-meditated abduction. Good to know.”
Alicia power walked down the sidewalk, dragging Caroline behind without looking back.
“You didn’t even let me take off my apron!” Caroline untied the pink apron with one hand as she tripped behind.
“How’s your day been?”
“Sweet as pie.”
“As usual,” Alicia said over her shoulder. “Has anything out of the ordinary happened today?”
Caroline tugged on her hand. “Um, no. Is something supposed to happen?”
“Nope. Just lunch with me. A regular Tuesday.”
Caroline’s phone vibrated in her back pocket, and the fist in Alicia’s grip tightened. She’d gone all morning without checking her phone, and it had been bliss for a few hours.
Redemption Ridge was the best place in the world, but sometimes, the secrets were enough to crush her.
Caroline burst into Flapjacks, and the smell of warm syrup had her breaths slowing. “I’m starving.”
“See? I knew you needed to eat. Let’s get you some protein.” Alicia waved to Bella where she tipped her chin from the other side of the room, carrying two armfuls of plates.
“You’re so right. Food was a great idea.”
Alicia glanced over and lowered one brow. “Food is always a great idea.” She led the way to a table in the back and practically pushed Caroline into the seat. Sitting across the table, Alicia clasped her hands and bounced her shoulders. “So, how’s life?”
“You’ve already asked me that.” Caroline studied her friend’s bubbly demeanor. What was she up to?
“The bakery is doing okay?” Alicia asked.
Caroline glanced at the open room filled with customers and waitresses. “What are we here for?”
“Nothing. I’m just wondering.”
What did Alicia know? Why would she lead with that question? “The bakery is great.”
It was great. It just wasn’t as great as previous Christmas seasons.
She’d been watching the reviews online. New one-star ratings popped up every day with scathing testimonies behind them.
She’d never had a single one-star review on The Cakery until a week ago, now they were popping up like sparks from a campfire.
“It’s always busy. That’s awesome,” Alicia said.
The Cakery was a local favorite, but even the rush of customers from the last few weeks couldn’t touch the swarms she’d managed in other years.
“I think I should put you to work.”
Alicia chuckled and lifted the paper menu. “I think your mom might find me and drag me out if I tried to leave the kids with her so I could have another job.”
Caroline propped her elbow on the table.
Her boss of a sister-in-law juggled two kids and a handful of jobs like it was easy as walking.
Alicia tapped her nails against the tabletop, patient smile plastered in place, but her raised brows said she was waiting for Caroline to crack. But what was she waiting for?
Bella Knight appeared beside their table and pulled a notepad from her apron pocket. “Whew. It’s been a day. The Christmas rush has got me running around like I don’t know which way is up.”
“You’re doing a great job. Who could come to town and miss out on a Flapjacks breakfast?” Caroline asked.
Bella lowered the notepad and relaxed her shoulders. “That’s so sweet.”
The Christmas rush got the best of all of them at one point or another. An encouraging word always helped lift Caroline’s spirit, and passing that on was the next best thing. “Just speaking the truth.”
Bella took their orders and skipped off to the kitchen with a new pep in her step.
Caroline rested against the seat with a smile.
They were all in this together. For every small-town rumor that threatened her business, there were a dozen wonderful friends everywhere she looked hoping and praying she’d succeed.
Alicia leaned over the table with that bright smile—the one that captured the heart of everyone in America during her pop star era. “Anything else going on?”
“Okay, you’re scaring me. Is something supposed to be going on?”
“Maybe. How are things with Justin?”
She froze. Justin was never far from her thoughts, but she wasn’t any closer to knowing what to do about it. How could she ever trust a man who left the way he did?
She pressed a hand to her stomach, the tension forming knots at the memory of their last conversation. She turned her gaze to the tabletop, blinking away the sting in her eyes. She had loved him. Probably still did.
“There are no things with Justin. That was in the past.”
“But it isn’t in the past. He’s here now,” Alicia explained.
“That doesn’t mean there’s anything new with us. We live in the same town. That’s it.”
And that was enough. With the Christmas season looming over her head, she didn’t have time to fix things that had been broken and forgotten years ago.
“What about the flowers?” Alicia asked.
Great. She regretted telling Alicia about the flowers. “They were nice. I didn’t call him.”
“Why? What if he wanted to talk?”
“Good for him. I wanted to talk a long time ago.” She threw her hands in the air as if it were perfectly reasonable to lose her temper at lunch over something that happened over a decade ago.
Ugh. There was that ugly anger she’d been pushing away for years. She wasn’t used to being mad at anyone. Before Justin, the only person she hadn’t liked was his dad. Then Justin added his name to the very short list of people she shouldn’t trust.
Alicia glanced at her hands. “I think he’s sorry.”
“For what exactly?”
“Leaving.”
Caroline scoffed. “See, that’s where the miscommunication happened. I was never upset that he left. I was upset he didn’t give us a chance. He made the decision for both of us and never asked me to go with him.”
Alicia bit her lips together. “He knows that.”
Pressing the heels of her hands against her eyes, Caroline sucked in a few fortifying breaths. “I thought we were more than we actually were. You’re right. He’s a great guy, but I’m still hurt.”
“And you’re allowed to be,” Alicia said, resting a hand on Caroline’s arm.
“I haven’t been nice to him,” Caroline whispered as her chin quivered. Knowing she hadn’t been doing the right thing burned her heart. She rarely had malicious feelings for people. Having them for Justin went against everything she believed.
“It’s never too late to start.”
Caroline lowered her hands. “Whose side are you on?”
Alicia grinned and squeezed Caroline’s arm. “Yours.”
Caroline’s phone rang, and she reached into her apron pocket. “Sorry. This might be Skye.”
When she saw the random number on the screen, she silenced it and tucked it away. “Never mind.”
“Answer it,” Alicia demanded.
“What? It’s not an emergency.”
“Caroline, please answer it.”
Caroline eyed Alicia and pulled the phone out again. “Hello.”
“Hey, Caroline?” Justin’s voice on the phone was the last thing she’d expected.
“Yes.”
How had Alicia known it wasn’t a spam call? She watched Caroline with wide eyes as she leaned on her elbows over the table.
“Please don’t run away, I’m walking over to your table.”
It took two full seconds to process what he’d said before Caroline turned in her chair to look for him. “You what?”
There he was, stalking toward her like a man on a mission. He held her gaze as he lowered the phone.
“Can we talk?”
Oh, sugar cubes. He’d cornered her, and now she had no idea what to do. “I’m… I’m having lunch with my sister-in-law.”
Alicia stood and grabbed her coat and purse off the back of the chair. “No, you’re not. I’m leaving. Have fun!”
Caroline closed her gaping mouth. Now she didn’t have a clue or a buffer.
Justin gestured to the seat across from Caroline. “About that talk…”
Caroline fidgeted with the napkin in her lap. “Have a seat.”
He took the seat and settled in with his forearms propped on the table.
“Listen, I just want to talk. I know I didn’t handle things the right way between us.
Trust me, I know. I wish I’d done a lot of things differently.
I really thought you would be happier here, and I hated the thought of taking you away from your family, and… ”
The words were tumbling out. Everything he said was an apology or regret, and none of it made Caroline feel any better.
In fact, it made her want to hurl. She’d been heartbroken, but he’d been torn up too.
They’d both believed they’d found something special back then.
They’d just made mistakes like everyone else and lost it.
“Justin.” She reached across the table and covered his hand. “Justin, I hear you. I get it.”
“I don’t think you do. I—”
“I do. Or I think I’m starting to get it.”
His broad shoulders sank, and a deep breath wooshed out of him. “I’ve been so focused on what I should say, I didn’t think about what I’d do if you actually responded.”
Caroline’s lips pressed together, begging to grin. He was so cute when he was flustered. A red blush crept up his neck and jaw. “I’m not saying I’m ready to forget everything, but I think we can start by becoming friends.”
Justin stared at her for a few moments, then slowly nodded. “I’d like that.”
Bella returned with a breakfast plate in each hand and looked from Caroline to Justin and back. “Wait. Where did you come from?”
“Alicia had to leave, but I’ll have whatever she was having.”