Chapter 12 Justin
JUSTIN
Justin pulled the collar of his coat up against the frigid morning wind as he tracked across the square to The Cakery. He had the day off and planned to spend every minute doing whatever he could to make Caroline acknowledge him.
Justin glanced through the bakery window and spotted Caroline talking to a customer at the counter. Even at the early hour, she was nothing less than a ray of sunshine.
Caroline looked up as he entered, and her cheery greeting didn’t waver as she said, “Good morning! Welcome to The Cakery. What kind of sugar rush could I get you today?”
“Good morning. Caroline, I’d love a cup of your best coffee and whatever you’d recommend from this amazing display.” He never took his gaze from her.
“Skye! Go dig one of yesterday’s cinnamon rolls out of that donation box.”
When she’d bagged the treat, she passed it to Justin at the register and rang up the total.
Justin pulled out his wallet, trying and failing to keep his hands from shaking. Being around Caroline jump-started his adrenaline every time. “I’m ready to help out with anything. What can I do today?”
She paused with the money hanging over the till. “Nothing. I’m working.”
“Perfect. Let me help.”
She stared at him without blinking until a new customer entered the shop behind him. “Um. The back room is a hot mess, and maybe you could put the angels on the angel tree.” She pointed to a flocked Christmas tree in the corner of the bakery.
“As you wish.”
She jerked her chin toward the back of the store. “When you’re finished, it’ll be time to clean the bathrooms.”
Caroline was punishing him, but her scare tactics weren’t going to work. The Cakery meant a lot to her, and it was hard not to admire her dedication.
After Caroline’s short instruction, he shed his coat and got to work moving boxes in the stock room.
Every box was labeled in Caroline’s rounded writing to match shelves with the same labels.
Imagining Caroline or one of the other young workers carrying the boxes to the shelves didn’t sit well with him.
Was she doing this stuff on her own plus the baking, customer service, and running the business?
After about half an hour of moving boxes to their homes on the shelves, the door to the stock room opened. It was ridiculous how Justin’s heart rate kicked up at the possibility of seeing Caroline every time.
Instead of Caroline, Skye stepped into the room, closing the door behind her. “Hey, Heartbreaker.”
Great. That nickname was going to follow him for eternity. “Hey. Am I doing this right?”
Skye propped her hands on her hips and looked up at the wall of shelves.
“Yep. Looks good. Caroline gets a little itchy when the stock room is messy, but the Christmas rush doesn’t leave much time to work back here.
” Skye glanced from the shelves to Justin, giving him a once-over. “Why are you here?”
Leave it to Skye to cut to the chase. She was the only one who’d known about the secret relationship between him and Caroline, and maybe Skye was the ticket to figuring out how to get back in Caroline’s good graces. “Caroline wouldn’t let me call her—”
“No, I mean why did you move back here? We know it’s not because you missed your dad, and I heard your grandparents passed away. I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks.” He picked up the next box and moved it to its place on the shelf. “I always planned to move back whenever my career ended. I thought it would end on my own terms, but life had other plans. My official retirement was set for next year, but earlier suited me just fine.”
“Really? So, did you think about what it would be like to confront Caroline again? You had to know she’d still be here.”
Justin propped his hands on his hips to match Skye’s stance. “Yep. I kind of assumed she’d be married with kids by now too.”
Wow. Saying that horrifying truth out loud had his stomach revolting.
“You’re not wrong,” Skye said. “She’s been proposed to twice before, and she just broke up with another guy because she thought he was getting close to popping the question.”
Justin’s skin heated all over. He shouldn’t be surprised that men wanted to marry Caroline. How could he have ever thought he had a chance with her?
Skye’s eyes narrowed. “Would that have bothered you if she’d said yes to any of those men?”
That was one way to hit him in the gut. “It would have crushed me.”
“Crushed you? But you let her go.” Skye’s voice rose as her anger climbed. “You made her feel like she was disposable. You hurt my friend, and I’m scared you’re going to do it again.”
Justin nodded. He should have expected this. Skye was the one who stayed. She was the one who probably picked Caroline up off the floor when he left. Now, facing the consequences of his actions meant humbling himself before everyone he’d hurt, including Caroline’s best friend.
“Everything you said is true. I didn’t deserve her then, and I don’t deserve her now. I made decisions back then that I thought were best, but I ended up hurting the person I loved the most.”
“Yeah, you did,” Skye shot back before her shoulders fell in defeat. “I don’t like it when she’s sad like this. It’s her favorite time of the year, and she’s hurting again because of you.”
He let the guilt hit him with its full force. “Are you saying she’s not going to give me another chance?”
Skye scoffed. “I don’t know the answer to that, but I think she wants to. She’s just afraid to trust you again. Rightly so.”
“I promise I’m here for good this time. Or, I’m wherever Caroline is.”
Skye looked him up and down, took a deep breath, and studied his work on the shelves. “Nice job. I’ll let you get back to it.”
Everything Skye said was true. Caroline had trusted him with her heart, and he’d broken it. Was there anything he could do to fix what he’d done?
There had to be. If there was a chance she’d have him back, he had to do everything in his power to make sure she knew he was in it for good this time.
Once the stock room was organized, Justin found a broom in a small closet and swept the floor. He’d do any little thing he could to help Caroline out today. Plus, seeing the place she loved thriving the way she always wanted was inspiring. This was her dream, and she’d achieved it.
By noon he’d worked a major overhaul on the stock room and placed a call to Nick to request a lunch delivery. Alicia mentioned that Caroline was skipping meals because the bakery was busy, but that wasn’t going to happen today.
The warm scent of sugar and spices was stronger in the public area of the bakery, and the smell Caroline carried with her tingled in his nose. It was impossible to think of anything else when he was reminded of her.
Skye smiled at a young woman as she handed a bag over the counter.
Caroline pressed a lid onto a hot drink and turned to hand it to a customer at the other end of the bar. “Chai tea.”
She hadn’t noticed him yet, and he took the opportunity to watch her. She moved effortlessly in the small space, reaching and pouring in graceful motions.
He’d once been at home on a baseball field. He could have plotted the diamond in his sleep. Now, the only place he wanted to be was by Caroline.
The young girl Skye had served joined her friends and they slowly moved toward the exit. There wasn’t a line at the register, and Justin took the chance to talk to Caroline.
“Hey. I finished working in the stock room.”
Caroline was busy wiping counters, but she stopped to look up at him. “Really? That’s great.”
Justin held his hands out at his sides. “What’s next, boss?”
A thud against the window drew their attention. The group of women who’d just ordered from Skye were crushing cupcakes against the outside of the window.
“What are you doing?” Skye shouted as she rounded the counter and headed for the door.
Caroline let out a deep sigh. “Great.”
Justin took a step toward the door, but Caroline grabbed his arm, rooting him to the spot where she held him.
“Don’t. I don’t want to cause a scene,” she said quietly.
“They’re the ones who caused a scene. Caroline, I can catch up to them and do something about that.”
“Please. Just let it go.”
Let it go. How was he supposed to do that when the fire churning inside him begged to be released?
Caroline’s hand slid down his arm, and Justin reached for a roll of paper towels. “What was that about?”
Caroline tried to take the paper towels from him, but he held tight to it. “It’s nothing. Just some customers who aren’t a fan of my cupcakes.”
Skye stormed back inside, and the scowl on her face didn’t match the cheery ring of the bell above the door. “I’ve had it with this. Who acts like that?”
“This isn’t a one time thing?” Justin asked as he headed toward the door.
“It’s kind of a daily thing,” Caroline said.
Justin jerked to a stop. “What?”
“It’s nothing. Not everyone has great taste in baked goods.”
She said the words with a smile, but she couldn’t hide the hurt from him. He put a hand on her shoulder and jerked his head toward the checkout counter. “I’ll take care of this.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I do.” Justin leaned down, closer to her as he whispered, “Please let me.”
Her brows lowered, and she moved her chin back and forth. “I can do this on my own.”
“I know that. I know you can do anything. But I want to protect this place that you love so you can be happier.”
Caroline bit her lips between her teeth and nodded. “Okay.”
It was a small win, but at least she hadn’t told him to buzz off.
Now, he just had to keep begging her to let him in until she either changed her mind or figured out that he was serious about earning a place in her life again.