Page 12 of Hometown Hottie

6

CARSON

First thing Tuesday morning, I headed back to the bakery. For a girl who’d barely crossed my mind in at least eight years, Nova sure was back in full force. It was almost funny how fast it had happened. Maybe she had never really left my thoughts, and she was just waiting patiently for me to rediscover her.

As Red Stone Ranch came into view, I frowned and leaned forward, blinking just to make sure I wasn’t imagining things, but no. The bakery was right at the very edge of the property, with just a parking lot between it and the road—and there was already a line out the door.

Holy shit. I’m impressed.

I steered off the road onto the gravel of the lot, driving all the way to the ass end before I managed to find a spot. After I parked, I joined the line and chatted with some locals as we slowly shuffled our way forward.

Occasionally, fans would approach me. Even though I was retired, I understood my success and good fortune were all because of them. I had trained hard and I had sacrificed my body on the field, but if no one bought tickets, none of it would have mattered. The least I could do was sign whatever they wanted me to sign and pose for pictures if they wanted one.

In between, I enjoyed talking to the people in line that I’d known before. They filled me in on bits and pieces about everything that had happened in town while I’d been gone. They thanked me for the donations I had made to the community.

All while inhaling the most delicious scents in the world, which was both heaven and torture. I’d eaten this morning, but my stomach was snarling by the time I finally made it inside.

The bakery was on one side of the building. On the other, a coffee shop led out onto a patio that had been built at the back. Glass sliding doors all around meant the entire space could be closed if it was cold, and it had a homely, country feel to it.

I grinned and looked around for Nova, surprised when I saw Cassidy Markus emerging from the kitchen instead. She squeaked when her gaze landed on mine, and I chuckled, holding my hands out as I approached her. “Can I take that for you? It looks heavy.”

“Car—” She cleared her throat, glancing down at the basket of bread in her arms like she was only just remembering that it was even there. “Carson Drake. It’s good to have you back in town, but I’m not letting you touch these loaves. You’ll have to wait like everyone else.”

I grinned. “You saw right through my devious plan. If I promise not to steal any, can I help?”

She handed over the basket gratefully and wiped some flour from her hands onto her apron. “Well, I’m Cassi⁠—”

“I remember you, Cassidy,” I said, laughing as I followed her to the shelf the basket had to go on. “We had AP math together, right?”

Her eyes grew wide as she stared up at me with a slight crease between her eyebrows. “I didn’t even realize you knew I was in that class.”

I shrugged and tapped my temple. “Well, I’m a jock, and my head has taken a few hits, but there’s a few things still rattling around in here.”

Cassidy flushed a bright, glowing red, stammering when she finally managed to find her voice. “I wasn’t trying to say you forgot. I meant, like, you never knew in the first place.”

“That’s okay. I know what you meant. We ran in different circles, but it’s a small town. It’s not like we were friends, but I knew you were there.” I chuckled and slid the basket into place before I turned to look at her again. With her sleek, high ponytail and those soft brown eyes, she hadn’t changed a bit in the last decade. Unless I was very much mistaken, Ryan used to have a crush on her. I wondered if that was still true.

It might’ve been true for me too if Nova hadn’t captured my attention so completely back in the day. “Is she here?”

“She?” Cassidy asked, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded. “The woman of the hour, I mean. My mom said she started this place?”

“Nova?” Cassidy grinned at me. “Yeah, she did. This place. The coffee shop. The market. It’s all her. I’m just here to help her bake and to tend the counter when she’s not around. I don’t know when that girl sleeps. But no, she’s not here. She went to the library for read-aloud.”

“Right. I heard about that, too.”

Cassidy smoothed a hand over her ponytail, pulling it over her shoulder. She kept staring at me, her expression becoming increasingly more curious. “Do you want me to tell her you came by?”

Shit. “No, thank you. That’s okay. I was just wondering if she had some recommendations on what to get.”

Cassidy jerked her head, motioning for me to follow her. “Now, I know you’re fresh off the boat from the big city, and some of the folks over there might argue with me about this, but Nova’s bear claws are better than anything you’ve ever had.”

“Load me up.” I grabbed a box to fill and added some other pastries to it while she led me to said bear claws. “Let me take some home to my mom as well then.”

“Your mom was the one who insisted she make these,” Cassidy said lightly. “It’s been a really popular addition to our menu. Here you go.”

“Thanks for letting me jump the line,” I said, winking at her.