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Not that it mattered. In the few seconds it took me to reach the counter, my wolf had memorized everything about her. Her scent, the low ponytail tied at the base of her neck, her pale lip gloss, as well as the purple coloring on her nails. My wolf had seen and remembered it all, which meant I did as well.
So while I did everything in my power to pick out something to eat, an image of Kate walked through my mind. With an apron. Without. Laughing at my stupid jokes, shaking my hand. Holding it.
“I see the decision hasn’t gotten any easier for you,” Kate said once I took too long.
“Oh, sorry. I’m trying to find something for my brother. He’s a bit picky, you see. He can’t have a lot of sugar.”
“Hmmm.” Kate tapped her chin, then pointed to something under the glass case. “The blueberry scones aren’t too bad. We also have bran muffins with cranberries in them if that’s any better.”
I chewed my bottom lip as I tried to think up a way to stay inside the bakery a while longer. I’d already told her I wanted to get something for my brother, so I obviously wasn’t going to stay. So what else could I do?
“Do you do those cute pictures in coffee here?” Nora hated it when I asked, but maybe Kate was different.
“Absolutely! Though it’s better fresh. I don’t know if it’ll keep depending on how far you have to go.”
“Oh, it isn’t far. I just know he’d get a kick out of it.”
“What would you like me to put in it?”
“Put in it?”
“The drawing.”
I considered her question a moment and smiled. “A rabbit.” Dustin would get a kick out of it.
“With a fluffy tail?”
“The fluffiest.”The fluffiest? Really?How stupid could I get?
If Kate noticed, she didn’t let on. Instead, she offered me a half-smile, then turned to work on my order.
As she did, I praised myself for my quick thinking even though Dustin hated coffee. We both did, but my little lie kept me in the bakery a while longer, which was exactly what I needed it to do.
“Here you go,” Kate said once she put a lid on the cup. “As for treats, what were you thinking? The bran muffin or something else?”
Shit.I still hadn’t made up my mind. “Um, lemon.”
“Lemon?”
“Uh, a lemon bar. For me, I mean. I’ll take the muffin for him.”
Nodding, Kate collected the items I’d asked for, then wrapped them in a brown paper bag and set it by the register. “Will that be all for today?”
“I’d take everything home with me if I could, but this should be good for now.”
“When you’re ready, you know where to find me.” She took my money, waved her goodbyes, then went back to what she’d been doing as soon as I walked out the door.
You know where to find me?Surely she meant the bakery, and yet, a part of me wondered if she’d meant something more.
You’re looking into it too much,I told myself as I rounded the corner. I’d let my brother’s hopes and dreams get to my head, both of which I quickly pushed away. If Mom and Dad caught me daydreaming on the job again, I’d be screwed.
