Maybe Aspen’s light might seep into his bones and help him forget everything on this dreaded day.Elle’s death anniversary.
It was selfish as fuck, but that’s what Wolfe wanted.Needed.
A Park?Interesting.CU there.
As long as the location was quiet and he didn’t have to deal with a fuck-ton of people, Wolfe convinced himself he could get beyond the anniversary of his sister’s death and the crappy call with his dad and enjoy the evening with Aspen.
He headed toward his master bedroom to shower and stopped at an end table under the window where a framed picture of Elle rested behind a set of pastel pink battery-operated candles.Wolfe flipped a package of cherry licorice Nibs on the table to join other sweets in their packages including a candy bar and a sleeve of packaged donuts.
“Here you go, kid.”
Wiping the wetness that gathered in his eyes, Wolfe pulled all of his energy to put the past behind him and focus on the ribbon of joy that came into his life in the form of a spunky baker.He’d committed her soft curves to memory like the exact spot to aim a one-timer so it rattled the crossbar of the goal and tumbled into the net.
Hopefully, the watchful woman wouldn’t see through the screen he used to shield his true self: an imposter using a bravado of nastiness to survive each day.All in an effort to keep the consuming grief and guilt at bay.Too bad it still nipped at his heels with the ferocity of a hound dog on a hunt.
Chapter 8—Aspen
The lavender plantsfluttering in the summer breeze reminded Aspen of her own feelings of nervousness.She tried to calm herself during her walk to the park where she planned to meet Connor at the food truck.
She wasn’t quite sure how her conversation with Connor shifted from helping around the shop to having dinner, but Aspen currently found herself walking in the direction of the mobile eatery with her Groupon coupon clutched firmly in her sweaty palm.She planned to break bread – or fish tacos – with the man who had her thinking of something other than her business for the first time in a handful of years.
The problem was she couldn’t afford to be thinking of anything other than her business, especially with her shift to add a catering component to the bakery.In fact, she had a meeting with the manager of theFun4Summercamp the next day to pitch the catering gig for an upcoming hockey camp for about 50 kids.
Mia helped her land the meeting, asFun4Summerwas where she interned outside of the time she spent working at the bakery.
Aspen was ready to make her presentation with a thoughtful and tasty menu the hockey campers would love to eat while obtaining the necessary fuel to give them energy to do that hockey-y thing.She even planned to bring samples for the hiring panel to taste in an effort to (hopefully) help seal the deal.
She also had another catering gig lined up with a local bank.They wanted baked goods, fruits and other snacks as part of their strategic planning event the group planned to host for employees at the branch later in the summer.
All of her efforts were coming together to help Aspen whittle down the loan a bit.She was giving herself some breathing room and trying to infuse a bit of cash into the actual building, outside of the uber-thoughtful donations of time and talents provided by Connor.
Aspen’s mind returned to the sexy hockey player who chose to spend part of his off-season helping mend some of the problems plaguing her shop.
She definitely liked calling him Connor.Although Mia sometimes referred to him as Uncle Connor, she most often used Wolfe.But for Aspen, it felt like the name Connor fit, and was something special only she shared with him.
Thinking back to their actual conversations along with their non-verbal exchanges, she’d sensed there was something he was holding back.She couldn’t put her finger on it, other than her overwhelming desire to show the gentle giant care while exploring the buzz of awareness that zapped between them.
