Chapter 5
Iabruptly stopped in front of the charming building that had housed Heavenly Bites, my hometown’s beloved bakery that had been open for as long as I could remember. Ida Waters was the sweet, grandmotherly type who always gave unsolicited advice about your life alongside her delicious treats. I remembered my dad telling me a few months ago about her passing. Still, I figured she left the bakery to someone in her family who would take it over.
I was shocked to see it sitting vacant along Main Street, drained from the vibrant life it had always held. I fished my phone out of my pocket and brought up the contact of someone who could give me the tea.
”Hey, K! What”s up?” Mia”s cheery voice greeted me.
”Hi! Mi, tell me, what happened to Heavenly Bites? I knew that Ida passed away, but I’m standing in front of it right now, and it”s all boarded up,” I stepped closer and pressed my face against the glass, squinting to see behind the layers of built-up grime on the windows.
”Oh yeah, it”s unfortunate actually. No one in Ida”s family wanted to come back here to run it, so they put it up for sale and, as far as I know, haven”t had any luck finding a buyer,” Mia explained.
That would make sense. Her family moved away from Ashwood Falls years ago. I couldn”t remember a time when they came back to visit her, even for the holidays.
“Hmm,” the sound came out almost involuntarily. My mind was racing. I wondered if it would work and how much the family wanted for the space. I would need to talk to my dad and get his input, of course.
”Heelllooo?” Mia dragged out the word as if it had 10 syllables, pulling my thoughts away from their racing.
“Sorry! Okay, thanks, I have an idea, but I need to think through the logistics of everything and I need to call my dad. I”ll talk to you later,” I hung up and dialed my dad before Mia even had a chance to say goodbye.
”Hey, Pumpkin. Do you need something?” Oh, shoot! I forgot that Dad did most of his sermon prep on Wednesday mornings.
”Shoot! Sorry, Dad, I forgot you are studying. I can talk to you later tonight at home.”
”Don”t worry about it. My brain could use a little break anyhow. What can I do for my girl?” This was one of the many things I loved about my dad. He never put ministry above our family. We always came first especially if something was happening at home or with one of us girls.
I spent the next few minutes pacing the sidewalk outside the abandoned bakery, unloading all my thoughts and questions on Dad. I was talking so fast I”m not even sure he caught half of what I was saying.
”Wow. Okay, that”s a lot to take in. I can clearly tell this is something you are excited about. You always talk 90 miles an hour when you have an exciting idea,” Dad chuckled. I couldn”t help the smile that tugged at my lips. This could really work. “Buying the building and creating your own bakery is an excellent idea, Karis. This town has been missing that place, something fierce, and who better to bring it back to life than one of our own?”
Pride swelled in my chest. The confidence Dad always had in me was unmatched. Anything I set my mind to, he was there to cheer me on. My original plan was to open my own bakery in KC after college, but sometimes God had other plans. That was beginning to be a theme in my life.
”You think so? I would need help figuring out how to secure a business loan,” I said. This place looked like it needed a lot of work, but just the thought of taking something from scratch and creating it exactly how I wanted it sent a bolt of excitement coursing through my veins.
”Absolutely! I”ll call Bill at the bank and see if I can get a meeting scheduled with him for next week. I”m proud of you, Karis, and glad to have you home!” Dad said before we hung up.
”First stealing parking spots and now lurking in front of abandoned buildings?” The deep rumble of a familiar voice startled me.
I spun around to meet Brant”s gaze, but not before slipping a cool mask of indifference over my features.
”Afternoon, Sheriff,” I couldn”t help the ice that coated my tone at using his title. I was usually an overly happy and optimistic person. You know, in romance books, they call them the ”Sunshine” character. Yeah. That”s me, except when I have to interact with this man. I don”t know what it was about his grumpy demeanor, but he’d immediately put me on the defensive.
The grunt he gave in response had me rolling my eyes. ”If you don”t mind, I”m a little busy at the moment.”
”What? Canvasing the place? Looking for a way to break in?” I bristled at his mocking tone.
”Actually, if you must know, I am thinking about buying this building, so I was standing here dreaming.”
Yep, that definitely made me sound like one of those Sunshine book characters. I cringed internally, for some reason not wanting this man to think of me as childish.
”What would you be buying it for exactly?” There was genuine curiosity in his face. He looked so earnest that I couldn”t help but answer him honestly.
”I plan to open my own bakery,” I said as I stood taller and straightened my shoulders, hoping to present an heir of confidence I didn”t possess. It”s not that I didn’t think I could do it, but it would be a lot of hard work. Starting something new was always nerve-wracking.
“Hm,” he nodded slightly as if digesting the information and determining if he thought I was worthy.
My spine straightened at the notion he didn”t believe in me. I decided to end the conversation without another word. I turned on my heel and headed in the opposite direction when I heard him say, ”Good luck” I didn”t turn around or even acknowledge I heard him.
I wasn”t going to let some random guy get in my head. Although, he wasn”t just some random guy, and I knew it. I might not have recognized him when we met in the church parking lot, but as soon as he said his name in Sunny”s, the pieces fell into place in my head.
He was one of the Landon brothers. Eden and I went to school with the three of them. Brant was the oldest, four years ahead of me in school. The middle brother, Brooks, was in my grade, and while we were not necessarily friends, we knew each other and went to all the same parties. Brock was the youngest of the brothers and was in Eden”s grade. They had actually been really good friends.
It didn”t take long for me to recall my schoolgirl crush on Brant in high school. He was the epitome of a cool kid. He played football, basketball, and baseball, was unfairly handsome for a high school-aged kid, and had the attention of more than half the girls in our school.
From what I could remember, he had a few girlfriends from the cheer squad through the years but never gave me a second glance. Which made sense because when he was a senior, I was a freshman. We didn”t exactly hang out with the same people. That didn”t stop my teenage heart from falling for him from afar.
I shook my head. I was not going down that road again. He may be a grown man and even more good-looking than he was in high school, but he was also somehow more broody than he was in high school. I”m sure he only saw me as an annoyance, proven by fact that the only emotion he ever showed when we ran into each other was irritation.
I had more important things to do with my time, like draft an entire proposal for my bakery to bring to the meeting with Bill next week. I finished walking home while thinking through everything I would need to do before that meeting.
”Everyone ready?” I called from the front entryway. We wanted to make sure mom was getting out of the house for exercise and fresh air whenever she felt well enough. She started her treatments a few days ago, and so far, she was handling them okay. Her doctor was optimistic about her recovery and overall health. We counted our blessings every day she felt good enough to be up and moving.
”Ready,” Mom answered as she rounded the corner and pulled me in for a hug, Eden trailing behind her. I relished in the feeling. I firmly believed a hug from your mom never lost its magic.
”Let”s go,” I looped my arm in Mom”s as Eden pulled the front door shut before looping her arm through Mom”s other side. We walked down the porch steps and headed across the gravel road for the large Red Maple trees at the back of the property. The plan was to take a thirty-minute walk at a slow pace.
”How are you feeling?” I asked, even though I already knew the answer she would give me.
”I”m fine,” she said, patting the back of my hand with hers.
I stole a glance at Eden, who just rolled her eyes with a smirk.
”How are you?” Eden asked with a hint of something I couldn”t quite read.
”Fine,” I replied tentatively. I knew Eden would get to whatever it was she was hinting at.
”I heard you had a few run-ins with our grumpy town Sheriff,” she laughed.
”Now, Eden, you know to take everything you hear around town with a grain of salt,” Mom chided.
”I have run into him several times since I”ve been home. None of which were exciting enough to recount,” I said with a sigh.
”That”s not what Brock said,” Eden waggled her eyebrows at me over Mom”s head.
”Brock has always been a gossip. He’s seriously worse than the little old ladies in the town knitting circle,” I laughed. ”I think he”s the driving force behind the town gossip mill.”
Hysterical laughter spilled out of Eden. ”I”ll be sure to tell him that. But if I”m being honest, you”re not wrong.”
“Oh, that boy is something else,” Mom said with a laugh.
As we walked, I marveled at the changing landscape, each step revealing a new masterpiece painted by God”s brush. Mom shared stories of our childhood adventures, weaving a tapestry of nostalgia that enveloped us in a comforting cocoon of shared memories. The sunlight filtered through the trees, casting a gentle glow on our path, and I couldn”t help but be grateful for this simple, precious moment. Our laughter echoed through the woods, punctuated by the occasional crunch of leaves beneath our feet.
This was what I had been missing for the last few years. Life was too short to do anything but embrace the season you’re in.