EMERY
Once all the muffins and cookies were either baking in the oven or cooling on the racks in the far corner, Abigail assigned me to the register. I looked at her with wide eyes, hoping to convey my skepticism that I was up to the job. After all, math was not my forte. But Abigail just smiled and patted my hand before she continued explaining how to navigate from the coffee section to the pastry section.
Midmorning traffic spurts were followed by lulls, so once Abigail was convinced I was capable of manning the register, she called Noah over to help me fulfill orders while she headed to the back to wash the dishes.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about Noah working with me in such a small space, but he was skilled at keeping himself out of the way so we never accidentally ran into each other.
During one of the lulls, I had time to think about my conversation with Abigail. I leaned both elbows on the counter as I let my mind wander. She’d relayed to me what had happened between her and Sabrina and how worried and panicked she was about her sister. I could only imagine what she was going through. But that was just it–I could only imagine it.
I was an only child. A part of me wished that I had siblings, especially after Carson passed away. I would give anything to be able to lean on somebody as I was navigating my new life as a widow and a single mom.
Plus, having siblings would’ve meant Timothy would grow up with cousins. One of my biggest regrets was my inability to give Timothy what I had wanted so badly for myself as a kid: a brother or sister. With each passing year, the opportunity for him to grow up with a sibling slipped further and further away.
Maybe that was my answer. My initial reaction to the board was to fight them on this marriage stipulation. But maybe that was the kick in the pants that I needed. Carson was never coming back, and we were never going to continue growing our family. If I wanted to give Timothy everything he deserved, then I needed to stop living in the past and actually take the leap.
If only that leap didn’t feel so terrifying.
Truth was, I didn't know how to date. I’d known Carson for most of my life. We’d met in high school and married so soon after graduating that I never learned how to have a relationship with another man. With Carson, I never had to flirt. I never had to attract him. We were attached at the hip from the beginning. In the world of dating, I felt completely helpless.
I could broker a merger like no one’s business. But talking to the opposite sex with the intention of dating and marrying? That thought terrified me beyond measure.
The door opened, and a tall man in a light tan T-shirt and faded, paint-splattered jeans walked in. I straightened as I watched him pull off his sunglasses and stick them into the front pocket of his T-shirt. He had sandy blond hair and dark eyes. When his gaze landed on mine, his smile was infectious.
He wasn't unattractive.
I must've been staring a bit too hard because he didn't break our connection. Instead he walked straight towards me with an intent look in his eyes. My stomach was a bundle of nerves as he approached. At this moment, I would rather take on Charles and his ridiculous stipulations, than say anything to the man now standing in front of me.
“Hey, there,” he said as he dropped his hands on the counter that separated us.
Speak, I commanded myself. I could do this. I’d talked to men before. I’d talked to a lot of men before. Just. Speak.
“Hey,” I said and then instantly pinched my lips shut when I heard my squeaky voice. My cheeks instantly heated, and I prayed for a hole to open up and swallow me. I cleared my throat. “Good afternoon,” I said with a small smile, thankful that my voice had found its normal cadence.
The man studied me before he pushed off the counter and folded his arms as he glanced up at the menu above my head. “What should I order?” he asked as he flicked his gaze back down to meet mine. “Everything looks delicious.”
I was taken aback by the way he said those words. The tone in his voice and the look in his eyes made me wonder if he was talking about me.
“I, um…” I swallowed as I looked at the counter and then turned to look at the board. “I’m new here, so I haven’t tried everything, but the lemon poppyseed muffins are a hit.” I turned back to him and smiled.
His gaze had remained on me the entire time. “I do like muffins,” he said.
Maybe I’d made a mistake. Maybe I’d bitten off more than I could chew. Maybe it was better to just accept my fate and die alone. Besides, Bash and Abigail were going to have kids. Timothy would have cousins eventually.
“We’ve got a lot,” I said as I hovered over the register, waiting for him to confirm what he wanted so I could ring it up.
“Are you new to Harmony?” He moved to rest his elbow on the glass case to the left of the register. He seemed to be settling in instead of ordering and getting out.
Okay, this man might not be the knight in shining armor I’d been hoping for—even if I really wasn’t sure what I was looking for—but, no harm came from flirting. This man could be my practice dummy. I was just flirting with him, not marrying him.
“I’m visiting,” I said as I grabbed a napkin from the nearby dispenser and started to wipe the counter with it. I was nervous, and I needed a place for all of my nervous energy to go. Cleaning seemed like the best move.
“Visiting?” He looked disappointed. “How long are you going to be here for?”
I cleared my throat. Truth was, I didn’t know. “A few days.”
“Ah.” He studied me before he extended his hand. “Rex Burris,” he said.
I glanced down at his hand before I slowly reached out to take it. “Emery…” I contemplated telling him my last name but then decided against it.
