Chapter 4
Morgan
I held my breath as we opened the door to the town hall's kitchen. We'd already been disappointed twice this morning. The damage to the bakery's kitchen was shocking for Reina, and access to the church's kitchen wasn't ideal.
Reina was quiet as she moved around the space, opening and closing ovens and running her hand over the stainless-steel counter. There were several huge refrigerators along the wall. She opened one and then the other. "This is more refrigerator space than I have now."
Her eyes were suspiciously shiny.
I gripped the counter so I wouldn't cross the room and pull her into my arms. "You think it could work for you?"
She nodded. "It's absolutely perfect. I could do so many more orders with all of this storage."
"You tell me what you want in your kitchen, and we'll make it happen. This is your opportunity to get exactly what you want." I wanted her to think of the renovation as an upgrade, not just restoring what she had before.
She chewed her lip. "I can't believe that Eve is going to let me use this kitchen."
"No one else is using it. Why not?"
"I'm going to call my clients and let them know that I can keep their orders, and then I'll reach out to everyone to let them know that I'm available for new ones."
"Do you have an online ordering option?"
"I do."
"I would take a look at it and make sure it has everything you want to offer now that you don't have a shop before you say anything."
"That's a good idea."
"Let's pick up lunch, and then we can head home to work."
"I'm sure you have other things you need to do," she said as we locked up and headed outside.
"Not today." Tomorrow, I'd have to work on my schedule with Cooper. But today, I could help Reina. I might have said it was because of the promise I'd made to her brother, but seeing her so emotional over the loss of her bakery, it was more than that. I wanted to help her.
When she had something to focus on, she felt better. And right now, finding a kitchen and letting her customers know about the development was the priority.
We picked up a pizza and subs at the local pizzeria, then headed home. I brought in the luggage she'd packed while she carried in the food.
We ate at the counter. Then she pulled out her laptop from her duffle and got to work.
"You're right. This isn't going to be able to handle regular orders.
It's mostly for wedding cakes and parties.
I need options for people who want a pie for their family dinner night or cupcakes just because.
This is my shop until the physical bakery is open again. "
When she was focused on something, she couldn't be upset about the damage to her bakery. I vowed to keep her focused on this new part of her business and away from the charred remains of her kitchen for a while.
I didn't like seeing her upset. The bakery was her dream, and it had to hurt that it had gone up in flames.
She looked over at me. "You don't think the fire was foul play, do you? Maddox said if it was, the investigation would take longer."
My stomach tightened at the idea. "It appeared to be an electrical issue to me."
She sighed. "I hope you're right. I can't handle any more bad news."
"You secured a kitchen, and you already have an online ordering system. It should be easy to tweak. You can contact your existing customers and then get the word out to others that you're open for business online."
She chewed her lip. "How will I get the food to people?"
"You could have them pick it up at the town hall or maybe deliver it to them?"
"I don't have a car, remember?"
"We don't have to have the answers now. We'll figure it out," I said, not wanting her to spiral again. "One thing at a time."
She looked at her computer. "I'll tweak the online ordering system, tell everyone about it, and then get ingredients. I'll start baking tomorrow."
I grabbed another slice of pizza, reassured that she would be okay. I was worried when the church kitchen didn't work out. I wasn't sure there was another option. But Eve came through for us. "I can take you grocery shopping."
"I know I've said thanks before, but seriously, you've been so helpful. I know you're doing it for my brother, but I don't know what I'd do without you right now."
"You seem perfectly capable. I'm sure you'd be okay." I was positive she would be, but why not help? That's what friends were for, and I was starting to consider Reina my friend, not just Tom's sister. And that was dangerous.
He'd want me to help her, but I wasn't sure how he'd feel about us living together. But how could I walk away when she was hurting?
She chewed her lip. "This sucks, but like you said, maybe it will be a good thing."
"You'll get a new and improved kitchen with better flow, and with the exact appliances you need. Now that you've already been in business, you know exactly what will work for you."
"I've been wanting to do more online orders. But I'd need more refrigerator storage for that."
"Let's get what you need at the store, and you can start baking. Then we'll make some time to design the perfect kitchen."
Her nose wrinkled. "Insurance is only going to pay for the kitchen I lost, not one with bigger and better appliances."
"That's where you come in. You just have to pay the difference in price, not the full amount. It's the perfect time to make upgrades."
Her eyes widened. "I didn't realize that."
"This isn't my first fire." This was the first project I was worried about working closely with the shop owner.
Because I admired her, and I was having all sorts of confusing feelings about rescuing her last night.
I felt close to her in a way I didn't with any other women.
And I didn't think it was because of Tom.
There was a knock on the door.
Reina's eyes widened. "Is it Maddox?"
"Nah. Too soon for his investigation to be complete. Probably someone wanting to sell me a new roof or windows." I moved toward the front door, seeing the women shop owners from town holding grocery bags. Opening the door, I asked, "What's all this?"
Clara lifted a bag. "We brought reinforcements."
I wasn't sure what that entailed, but I opened the door wider. "Come in."
The rest of the women filed through while I waited by the door.
Clara stepped inside last. "How's she doing?"
"She does better when she focuses on the future, how much better her store will be, and how she can expand online ordering to sell more items in the interim."
Clara's eyes lit up. "That’s perfect. We brought ingredients for her to bake. I figured that baking might soothe her. But we brought enough to stock a small bakery, so she could use this for her orders."
"Eve's going to let her use the town hall's kitchen to bake while her shop is closed."
Clara closed her eyes briefly. "I was worried that Reina would feel hopeless. We were trying to figure out how we could help her."
"I'm sure Reina appreciates the thought."
"I can sell some of her wares at the Christmas Shop, and Natasha said she'd increase her order at the inn's restaurant. Everyone's rallying around her."
I nodded, pleased. "That's what she needs."
Clara gave me a look. "You might not know this about Reina yet, but she doesn't like to accept help. I have a feeling she wants to prove to herself that she can do everything on her own."
I frowned. "I'm getting that impression."
Clara patted my shoulder. "Thanks for offering her a place to stay. That was really nice of you."
"It's what Tom would have wanted me to do." But that was a lie. There's no way Tom would want her anywhere near me if he knew the thoughts I was having about his sister.
She'd be living here for weeks, maybe months, parading around in various states of undress because she thought of me like a brother. Whereas my thoughts of her were less pure.
I wasn't sure how long I'd be able to resist her. Telling myself she was Tom's sister was already losing its impact. Nothing compared to Reina. She worked harder to make her dreams come true. She felt sorry for herself for a few hours, and now she was determined to make it work.
She was brave. It only made her more attractive.
Clara raised a brow. "Her brother, Tom, would want her to live with you?"
"Yeah, he made me promise I'd look after her while he was deployed. Surely, he meant something like this. She doesn't have a place to live, and her shop is closed."
Clara shook her head. "Reina would hate that. Guys talking about her like she needed someone to step in and look after her."
I swallowed hard. "She does."
"If you want Reina to stay here and accept help, then keep those words of wisdom to yourself."
"Yeah, I'm getting that."
"She's probably going to move out as soon as she can.
" I couldn't stop her, but I didn't want her to leave.
This was the most time we'd ever spent together, and now I was starting to wonder if I'd avoided her because I knew that, on some level, I was attracted to her, and I'd have trouble keeping my hands to myself.
At the same time, I didn't want to betray my friendship with Tom.
I should encourage her to live somewhere else, but selfishly, I wasn't ready to see her go. I wanted to spend more time with her. I wanted to get to know her. And I could tell myself that it was because I admired her tenacity, but it was something else entirely. I was attracted to her.
I took Clara's grocery bags from her, hoping she'd stop asking so many pointed questions.
Clara followed me into the kitchen where everyone had congregated around Reina.
They hugged, and Clara asked, "What are the plans to get the bakery reopened?"
So far Reina looked pleased to see her friends, not overwhelmed.
"We're waiting for the inspection to be completed, and then we'll get to work," I interjected.
Her brows rose. "You don't have any other projects to do first?"
"Our contract with the town specifies that town jobs come first, especially during an emergency like this.
" The town had us on retainer. It was the first contract we'd ever entered into like that.
So far, it had been mutually beneficial.
We had guaranteed work, and the town's issues were our priority.
"I didn't realize that," Clara murmured.
"Your stores are our priorities," I assured her.
She raised a brow at Reina. "Good to know."
I placed the grocery bags on the counter.
The women were talking to Reina, and I wasn't sure where they were planning to bake. Did she want to bake here or in the larger kitchen? I wasn't a huge cook, I did enough to get by, but it would be nice if someone used my kitchen.
"Thank you for the bakery stuff. I'll take it over to the hall tonight," Reina said to them.
"You're welcome to stress bake here too. I have a feeling that will be a mutually beneficial arrangement," I said with a smile.
She raised a brow. "You like sweet treats?"
I cleared my throat, because my mind went somewhere else entirely, and we were talking in front of her friends. "I've been known to indulge every once in a while."
She kept my gaze, and I wondered if she knew what I was really thinking about. Drizzling chocolate sauce over her body and licking it.
"You're not going to be able to resist Reina's goodies," Belle teased.
That's exactly what I was afraid of; I wouldn’t be able to resist Reina. If I made a move, I’d have to justify it to her brother. He wouldn't understand how desirable she was, how impossible it was to keep my distance.
I couldn't blame him for being upset. If he went for my sister, I wouldn't be understanding either. "I'll get out of your hair. Let me know if you need anything."
The women didn't acknowledge my words.
They were talking about Reina's ordeal with the fire and how amazing it was that I rescued her.
When they started talking about how they'd prefer a real-life firefighter to rescue them, I ducked out of the kitchen.
This wasn't a conversation I wanted to hear.
But it was interesting that they thought it was hot.
That they wanted to be rescued. Did Reina like that I'd rescued her and not one of the firefighters?
She probably would have preferred a firefighter and not her brother's friend.
I went downstairs to the basement to work out. I had a feeling that I'd have to spend a lot of time down here blowing off steam while Reina was living with me.
It bothered me that Reina might move out before the apartment was ready.
It was great that she had an independent streak, but I wanted her to stay.
I wasn't ready for our arrangement to be over.
So far, the house was filled with talking, laughter, and life.
All things I hadn't realized I'd been missing until she moved in.
Thirty minutes into my workout, the smell of something baking drifted through the vents. It was nice to have her enjoy my kitchen, to feel relaxed enough to hang out with friends here in my house.
I just couldn't get used to it. Who knows how long she'd stay or whether she'd let me get close to her? Just because I found her attractive didn't mean the feeling was mutual.
She probably saw me as her brother's annoying friend. The one who made ridiculous promises to protect her. Another woman might have liked it, but she hated it.
She didn't want anyone talking about her as if she couldn't take care of herself. I understood that now. But I was wondering why Tom didn't already know that about her. Were they not close? Or was it that he didn't see her that way?
Maybe her family saw her as someone who couldn't take care of herself because she was the youngest. And she was fiercely independent to prove them wrong.
I remembered that Tom had wanted her to move with their parents and open her bakery there.
But she hadn't wanted to. She'd insisted that Colorado was her home.
She was determined to make it work, and it had for a while.
Now, her dream was in shambles, and I was going to do everything in my power to fix it.