Chapter 11
“What the heck was that?” I shot Brock another glare from over my shoulder.
I had known bringing my brothers along was a bad idea, yet I did it anyway. Although Brock seemed to be the only problem today. I was still trying to figure out what was going on with him and Mia, but I was too mad to really chase that line of thought. I stalked toward the fire station where my cruiser was parked. I had dropped into the firehouse to see if Brock wanted to swing by Whisk Me Away when I found him and Brooks walking out the doors. Apparently, we had all had the same bright idea, only my idea hadn’t included Brock pissing off Mia and causing her to spill coffee all over Karis’ floor.
“What, man? I was just messing with her,” Brock shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.
I rolled my eyes and kept walking. I flipped open the lid of the bakery box, taken aback by the smells that immediately greeted me. If these were as good as they smelled, I was in trouble. It was hard enough to keep my distance from Karis, add in all this deliciousness, and I’d be screwed. I snatched up the cinnamon roll and the blueberry crumble muffin and handed the box to Brooks.
I hadn’t realized until just now that Brooks hadn’t said a word through that entire fiasco. He wasn’t usually an overly chatty person. However, it was still odd for him not to throw in his two cents, especially about Brock being an idiot.
“You good, bro?” My brows knit together as I tossed a questioning look at our middle brother. His expression was blank, giving nothing away.
“Fine,” Brooks responded with a nod.
I didn’t believe him, and based on the look Brock sent me, he didn’t believe him either. Even though I knew something was eating at my bother, I didn’t love it when they pried into my life, so I wasn’t going to push when he wasn’t ready to talk. I clapped both my brothers on the shoulders before slipping behind the wheel of my SUV. Next time I went to Whisk Me Away, I would go alone.
The gravel crunched under my tires as I steered my cruiser to my spot next to the house. When I moved out of Mom and Dad’s, I spent a significant portion of my savings on this place, knowing full well it was a fixer-upper in dire need of updating. The plan was to take it one project at a time until I brought the farmhouse back to life.
I climbed out of my SUV and trudged up the gravel path leading to my front door. Exhaustion weighed heavily on my shoulders. It had been a typical day in Ashwood Falls. Nothing crazy happened except the excitement that our little town finally had another bakery after the previous one had been closed down for so long.
The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the sprawling fields and outskirts of trees that surround my humble abode. As I approached the front steps, I couldn’t help but admire the progress on the wrap-around porch. It was the first project I tackled when I bought this place, and though it’s still a work in progress, it was slowly but surely coming together.
Weathered and worn from years of neglect, the porch now boasted freshly painted railings and newly replaced floorboards. The only thing I added was a set of black wooden rocking chairs on the left side of the front door. There weren’t plants or anything to make it seem welcoming, but compared to how it looked when I bought the place, the refinished porch gave the house solid curb appeal.
Although the front porch now looked nice, I spent most of my time on the back porch. I had a flat-top griddle that I used whenever I cooked at home. I wasn’t a gourmet chef, but I could hold my own. I wasn’t starving. Mom would be proud. On the other side of the back porch was a wrought iron table with six chairs for when my family inevitably decided to crash my house and refuse to leave.
I pushed through the front door, tossing my badge and keys on the entry table before toeing off my boots.
I held the refrigerator open, contemplating whether I wanted to make something or just order in when I felt a faint buzzing against my thigh. Fishing my phone out of my pocket, I saw a text from Karis. The way my heart kicked up at the sight of her name on my phone was a bit concerning. Choosing to ignore that little realization, I slid my thumb across the screen, opening her message.
Hi. Thanks for stopping by today, your brother really knows how to make an entrance. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the treats.
I stood in my kitchen with the fridge door open, reading her text repeatedly until the beeping of my refrigerator pulled me out of my haze. Right, food. I closed the fridge and walked toward the living room before sinking down into my favorite chair, contemplating how to respond to Karis. Realizing I was thinking way too hard about this, I sent off a simple reply.
Hey. That’s one way to put it. *Eye roll Emoji* The treats were delicious. Thanks. Hope the rest of your day went well.
I swiped out of the text thread and pulled up the contact for the Asian place in town. They were one of the few places that delivered in Ashwood Falls, and I didn’t feel like going back into town to pick something up. After calling my order in, I tossed my phone on the coffee table and headed straight for the shower.
As I went through my post-shift shower routine, I couldn’t help how my mind wandered to Karis. It took some guts to open your own business, especially with no experience, but you would never know if she was nervous. Seeing her today, she looked perfectly at peace. In her element. Like this was what she was made to do. It was inspiring. If the sampling of treats I had today were anything to go by, she was definitely in the right profession. Those treats were terrific.
I hurried through the rest of my shower before drying off and slipping into a pair of grey sweats and a black tee. I scrubbed the towel across my head and ran my fingers through my hair a few times before leaving my bathroom and heading for the living room. Not five minutes after I got comfortable, my doorbell rang. I swung the door open and paid for my food before taking the bag to the dining table and digging in. It had been a while since I had Chen’s, and I was excited.
I placed the California roll on the table and pulled out the crab wontons and the chicken lo mien. A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I took my first bite. Olivia always hated the smell of Asian food, so I didn’t have it as often as I would have liked when we were together. Now I got to eat it whenever I wanted. That was precisely why I wanted my life just the way it was. No one dictating what I could and couldn’t do.