Page 71 of Pick Me This Time

“See you, kiddo.” She gave me a wave too, turning back to Rachel and Elizabeth as I left. I felt my friend staring after me, but then I heard her restarting her conversation with my mother.

Going back to the kitchen, I stuck my head in through the door and forced a smile. “Bye, guys. Enjoy yourselves.”

“You’re leaving already?” Jake asked, clearly surprised as his eyebrows lifted and a slight furrow appeared between his brows. “I thought you’d be staying until after dinner.”

I chuckled. “Dinner is hours from now, but maybe next time.”

Nodding as he strode toward me, he walked me to the door and I said goodbye again, but Eric rushed out after me, frowning deeply when he caught up to me at my truck. “Look, this is weird for me, but I’m just going to come out with it.”

“Okay,” I said slowly, dragging out the word. “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” he said, looking me right in the eyes. “Is there something happening between you and Sterling?”

“What?”

“You were pretty damn cozy at the hospital,” he said, only half-joking. “It made me wonder if I’m missing something.”

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “It was the middle of the night. I don’t even remember falling asleep on him.”

Eric still seemed suspicious, though. His eyes were still darker than usual, his brow puckered as he stared right at me for another beat. “All the same, you’d tell me if there was something happening between you, right?”

I shook my head. “Probably not, but you’re right. This is weird.”

My phone beeped and I pulled it out of my coat pocket immediately, relieved to have an excuse to look away from him. The text turned out to be from June, and I smiled, glad that my excuse had offered me another excuse.

“Would you look at that?” I said, reaching for the door and climbing into my truck. “June says she’s just gone to the bakery and it’s ready to reopen. We need to get baking.”

Eric blew out a frustrated breath, clearly not convinced yet that I was being honest, but he nodded, waving for me to go ahead. As he turned and went back inside, I decided to drive directly to the bakery.

I needed to clear my mind, and there was no better way I could think of to do it than to spend a few hours baking.

If I managed to bake from now until tonight, we’d be much better prepared for the start of the festival. As I drove out of town, I felt the unease that had crept up on me because of Eric and Jake’s conversation melting away.

There was something about Northfield Farms—and the bakery in particular—that calmed me. I hadn’t even arrived yet and already, it felt like someone had rubbed a soothing balm on my soul. I breathed in deep, relieved that the ache in my chest was subsiding.

There were no cars outside when I arrived, letting me know that June must’ve come and gone, but I didn’t mind. In fact, I was glad to have the time alone and she’d taught me enough that I would be just fine prepping the basics on my own.

I surveyed the exterior of the building as I parked and climbed out of the truck, surprised that I couldn’t find any signs of damage or change to the facade. It looked exactly the same as it always had, which was a theme that continued as I made my way inside.

Jake’s crew had done an incredible job, and they’d gotten it done so fast that it made my head spin. They’d really rallied for Northfield Farms, and another surge of gratitude swept through me. It might’ve been years since the boys had been like brothers, but my God, Eric, Jake, and Sterling were proving beyond a doubt that all that old loyalty and love was still there.

Jake throwing himself into fixing the bakery like this for Sterling. Sterling heading out into a storm without hesitation to find his friend so he could be there for his daughter’s birth. Eric going above and beyond to collect Jake’s truck, working through the night to get it fixed.

Shaking my head at the impeccable work of Jake’s crew as I made my way through the main area, I smiled and headed to the kitchen, switching on the lights and rolling up my sleeves. I was in for a long afternoon, but there was absolutely nothing I would rather be doing right then.

The minutes melted into hours as I laid out the ingredients, prepped, and started several bowls of doughs and batters. With the monotony of the work soothing me even more, I didn’t even notice the sun had set until I heard someone come in the back door.

I grinned. “Hey, June! I was wondering how long you were going to stay away.”

She didn’t reply immediately, and when I turned, I saw it was because it wasn’t her, but Sterling standing in the doorway. He was resting against it, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans and his elbows locked.

His eyes were intently focused on me, a slight, thoughtful smile softening his features as he pushed away from the door. “Hey, Daph. Have you got a minute? I saw your car outside and I figured this might be a good time for us to talk.”