Chapter 12
It had been two weeks since opening day, and the hype had yet to fade. The steady stream of customers flowing through the bakery had brought excitement and exhaustion. I was slowly learning what items were town favorites and which items should be part of the rotating menu.
When I was working at the bakery in Kansas City, they had a rotating menu. I adopted the same concept at Whisk Me Away, making specific treats and swapping them out each month for a new set. I planned to add some of my seasonal favorites as the Christmas season approached.
I couldn”t believe it was almost Christmas, which meant I had been back in Ashwood Falls for nearly three months. I was still living at Mom and Dad”s house but actively looking for my own place. Mom finished her treatment a few weeks ago and seems to be recovering okay. Her doctors were encouraged and believed that the treatment was successful but we wouldn’t know for sure until she had another scan. She had more appointments and follow-ups, but we were hopeful and grateful.
Since Mom was doing well and had yet to need much help from me, not that I’ve had a ton of time with the opening of the bakery, I was looking for my own place to either buy or rent. One of the girls I knew from high school was one of the town realtors. We weren’t super close back in the day, but from what I could remember, she was always kind. She’d been sending me listings every week. So far, I hadn’t seen anything I loved enough to spend the money on. I was being picky. I knew that, yet I couldn”t make myself pull the trigger on any of the houses I”d seen.
Sometimes, I had a problem making decisions. If there were too many options, I tended to get analysis paralysis. My brain got overwhelmed and decided it didn’t want to work anymore. Leaving me to panic, picking something just so I could move forward. I was trying really hard to be a big girl and not fall into that trap with a decision as big as this one. Buying a house felt so permanent, so mature, and grown up. I knew that I’d just bought a bakery and started my own shop, but for some reason, buying a house felt different.
I pulled my mind back from my swirling thoughts before I could stress myself out. I ran my fingers through the blonde waves falling around my shoulders. Today I wore my favorite pair of dark wash jeans with a lacy white blouse and a black blazer over the top.
Church had ended, and I was sitting on a couch in the back office, waiting for my parents to finish before we headed to their house for Sunday dinner. I could have been out there chatting with the townsfolk, but after the last two weeks, I was exhausted and needed a minute to myself.
But I guess I jinxed it, because the moment that thought passed through my mind, the doors to the office flew open.
”I”ve been looking for you,” Eden sighed. ”You left me out there alone. I thought we had a deal,” she gave me her best annoyed look.
I bit my bottom lip, holding back the smile as best I could.
When Eden and I were younger, we made a pact. We wouldn”t leave each other alone after church until we returned to the office or found safety in a group of friends. We knew that if we got caught by ourselves, one of the ladies from the knitting group would drag us into one of their impromptu meetings, and we would never escape. That happened more times that I could count over the years.
They would press us for details about our friends at school, drama with the teachers, or anything about our friend”s parents. After many failed attempts to extract any and all gossip, they would resort to teaching us different knitting techniques until we”d eventually get rescued by our parents.
One day, after one too many run-ins, I found Eden hiding in the church office behind the same couch I was sitting on now. After getting on to her about leaving me alone, we decided to make a pact, which had served us well ever since. Well, that was until today.
I shrugged sheepishly.
”I”m sorry, Eden. I just needed a moment to myself,” I pleaded with her, widening my eyes and pushing out my bottom lip. ”Please don”t be mad at me.” I batted my eyelashes for extra effect.
”Oh, knock it off. You know I could never stay mad at you!” She gave me a smirk before plopping down beside me on the worn, brown leather couch.
I leaned my head over until it was resting on her shoulder. “That is exactly why I love you,” I giggled.
”Yeah, yeah. I”m the best. I know,” Eden laughed before patting my leg with her hand. ”How was the rest of this week at the bakery? When I came in on Tuesday, I was shocked it was still packed.”
The glint of excitement mixed with pride in her eyes had me fighting tears in my own. Eden had always been my biggest fan and loudest supporter. Even though I was the older sister, I looked up to her in so many ways. She was brave and fearless. She never really cared about what others thought, making space in her life for the things that she loved and brought her joy, even if no one around her liked those same things. In a lot of ways, I envied my sister. Her carefree spirit was something I always wished I had. She didn”t get analysis paralysis when making decisions. She didn”t seem to second guess herself after any decision. Sometimes, I just wished I had a fraction of her easygoing, confident attitude.
”I can see those wheels turning. What”s running through that brain of yours?” Eden asked, lifting her shoulder that was beneath my head.
I took that as my cue to raise my head and meet her eyes.
”Just trying to figure out how to be more carefree like you and less of a control freak,” I laughed.
”We can”t all be awesome,” Eden huffed out a laugh.
I rolled my eyes and laid my head back down on her shoulder.
”How”s that boyfriend of yours? I didn”t see him at church today.”
Eden had been dating this guy for quite a while, but he lived in the neighboring town. I didn”t know the guy well, but from what I could tell, he was great to Eden, and she seemed happy.
”Oh yeah, he had to fly home to help his dad. I guess he had a minor heart attack last week, and his mom asked if Adam would fly home and help her get him situated.”
The little I did know about Adam was that he grew up in Arizona and moved to Tennessee for college. He ended up loving it here (because, really, who wouldn”t) and decided to stay.
”Oh, that”s awful! Praying his dad is okay. That”s great Adam was able to head back home and help his parents out. What did you say he does for work again?”
I was a terrible sister. I should remember those things, but I was choosing to give myself grace since I’d just started my own business, and my mind was mush at the moment.
”He”s an architect. He started his own company with a friend, and it”s going super well,” Eden”s voice was full of pride.
”Wow. That”s impressive. Maybe he can design me a house one day,” I groaned.
”House hunting not going well?” Eden asked.
”Not exactly. I haven”t found anything worth buying or even renting, if I”m honest. My realtor told me the winter months aren”t the best for the housing market here, so I may have to wait until spring.”
”Geez, I didn”t realize there were certain times of year when the housing market wasn”t good. Is it so bad living with Mom and Dad for a few more months? It”ll give you more time to save, right?” I knew she was trying to put a positive spin on the situation, and I loved her for it.
In reality, I didn”t mind living with my parents right now. I knew most people would dread moving back home after being on their own for so long, but it really wasn”t terrible. I loved my parents and they allowed me to come and go on my own terms. I also liked knowing I was there if Mom ever needed anything.
But it boiled down to a pride thing. I really wanted to be able to stand on my own. I wanted to be successful in my job and personal life. Living at home didn”t feel successful to me.
”It”s not. It”s great, really. I’m just ready to be on my own but don”t want to make a stupid decision and regret it down the road, so I’m waiting.”
The office door creaked open just then, causing our heads to fling in that direction. It took a moment to register who was standing in the doorway.
Today, Brant wore a maroon button-up with the sleeves rolled halfway up, showing off his muscled forearms. He was wearing a watch on one wrist that didn”t look the least bit fancy. His muscular legs were encased in dark wash jeans, and a pair of brown leather dress shoes covered his feet. I dragged my gaze up Brant’s body as quickly as possible before stopping on the dark stubble lining his jaw. It looked like he”d missed a few shaving days, and I didn”t hate it. His brown hair looked short on the sides, and the top looked tousled in a messy yet expertly shaped way. When my eyes finally met his, the slight smirk tugging at the corners of his full lips told me he’d caught me ogling him.
Good grief, Karis. Get it together! I chided myself before tearing my eyes from his down to my hands that I was wringing together in my lap. I could feel the heat creeping up my neck and taking residence on my cheeks. If I didn”t get this under control, my face would give away my thoughts. I needed to keep those close to my chest if I was going to keep from embarrassing myself.
The throat clear almost had me meeting his gaze. Almost.
”I was instructed to round up the Thompson girls and bring them to my Gram”s house,” his deep voice flitted across the room, causing a chill to race up my spine. Why did everything about this man have to be so attractive? It really wasn”t fair. How was a girl supposed to keep her wits about herself when she had all that staring at her?
I could feel as his gaze bored into the side of my face, daring me to look at him. Eden must have picked up on the extreme awkwardness filling the room at that moment and came to my rescue.
”Oh, um. What about our parents? We were waiting for them before returning to the ranch for our normal Sunday dinner,” Eden said with ease.
”My folks invited yours over, so it”s Sunday dinner together at Gram”s house,” again, that deep baritone voice coaxed me to bring my gaze to meet his.
When I’d yet to make a peep, Eden jumped in again.
”Awesome! Okay, well.. let us use the restroom and then we’ll meet you at your truck!” Eden grabbed my bicep, yanking me to a standing position before shuffling me to the bathroom next to Dad”s office door. All the while, my eyes never drifted away from the black ankle boots that covered my feet.
Once in the safety of the bathroom, Eden swung me around. ”Okay, what the heck was that?” She demanded.
I let out a long sigh, knowing I wasn”t leaving this bathroom until I gave her something.
”I may or may not have a teeny, tiny, minuscule really, crush on the Sheriff,” the words came tumbling out of my mouth so fast I could have given Lorelei Gilmore a run for her money.
The squeal that left Eden”s mouth was filled with pure joy and excitement.
Swatting her arm, I whisper-yelled, ”Shush! Would you knock it off?! He could still be out there!”
The glare I was giving her must have been scary enough for her to rein in her overflowing emotions.
”Sorry!” She whisper-yelled back at me. “But this is so exciting!”
”No! No, it is not! I’m almost one hundred percent certain these feelings are one-sided, and the last thing I need is to make the Sheriff of Ashwood Falls uncomfortable with my unwanted feelings!” I sucked in a breath before continuing. ”I have interacted with him so many times over the last few months, and he has been nothing but a gentleman. It”s exactly how a guy in his position should treat one of his constituents.”
Eden stood stock still, staring at me with wide eyes. I pulled in another slow breath, holding it for five seconds before releasing it. Eden had yet to say anything, so I went on.
”Please, Eden. Don”t say anything. Let”s just go out there, get this dinner over with and pray I”m not too much of an awkward weirdo,” I nudged her in the side with my elbow before reaching for the door handle.
Eden’s hand came down on top of mine before I could twist the nob.
”Fine. You win… for now,” she said with a wink before pulling her hand back and allowing me to open the bathroom door.
Much to my delight, Brant was no longer standing in the office”s doorway, so we gathered our things and headed for the parking lot.
Lord, give me strength.
This was going to be an interesting evening.