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Chapter Eight
The next day, I met Kate inside Nora’s shop as soon as she opened the door. It was super early and would probably get the attention of Mrs. Parks and god-knows-who-else, but I didn’t care. If Kate wanted more time with me, then that was exactly what she was going to get.
“Someone’s happy,” Kate said as I followed her toward the back of the bakery. “Sleep well?”
“You mean before or after Dustin texted me pictures of all the creepy crawlies he’s found?”
Kate looked at me wide-eyed and shuddered. “Spiders?”
“Spiders, centipedes… you name it and there’s probably a picture of it on my phone.”
“I know they’re helpful and all, but there’s something about all those legs that squicks me out.”
“Having grown up with a brother, it doesn’t bother me half as much as it should. That doesn’t mean I like seeing them right before bed, though.”
“I try to limit my screen time when I can. I don’t have a cell phone.”
“You don’t?” She was joking, right?
“I do, but it’s only for emergencies. It doesn’t have any of the bells and whistles.”
“I use mine for work. We take pictures ofeverything.”I drew out the last word and made a motion with my hands. “Before, after, in between. Anything to cover our ass.”
“That makes sense. Same with keeping in touch with your brother. I just don’t need it. I have my laptop, my ereader, and a nice camera I use at home. It’s a lot to carry around, but I don’t mind.”
“You do photography?”
“I try,” she said with a tight laugh, “but I’m not very good at it.”
“I doubt that. You seem to have an eye for that sort of thing.”
“I can bake cookies, scones, and whatever else you can think of, but following the rule of thirds and getting the shutter speed just right isn’t for me.”
“Which is why I use my phone.”
Kate rolled her eyes at me, then pulled the first batch of cookies out of the oven and set them on the cooling rack behind her. “Do you feel like helping out today or is there somewhere you need to go?”
I stepped to the side, then removed an extra apron from one of the shelves. “Where do you need me?”
* * *
After getting a crash course in baking and the proper way to grease a cookie sheet, Kate left me to my own devices while she handled the front. Every once and a while, she came back to work on a new order, help me with another batch of dough, or to see how I was doing. However, the little time we spent together was usually interrupted by those walking through the front doors.
Needless to say, by the time lunch rolled around, I was pooped.
“Not quite the same thing as construction, is it?” Kate asked as she walked into the back so we could eat.
“No. If anything, construction’s a lot easier. It’s exhausting, don’t get me wrong, but–”
“But running around like you have your head cut off isn’t quite the same thing.”
