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She took the bag from him and leaned into his kiss. “Thank you,” she said.
They faced the building together. “They’re not making much progress,” he said, his voice tart to her ears.
“They have to dry everything out,” she said.
“They’ve been drying it for over two weeks.”
“I don’t work for the restoration company,” Gretchen said.
“Once it’s dry, then what?” Will asked, taking a step toward the door. It was metal and hadn’t been torn out. The kitchen where Gretchen created her truffles and caramels hadn’t been burned, but it had been covered in water, so it too had been stripped, sprayed with mold preventative, and monitored for mildew growth.
She and Jon and Will had removed everything from the front of the shop as the professionals came in to deal with any smoke damage. They’d thrown away anything edible, because Gretchen anticipated the shop being closed for at least a month, and she wouldn’t serve chocolates that were more than two days old, let alone thirty.
As she watched Will open the door and go inside the building, Gretchen knew the shop would be closed longer than a month. Frustration, annoyance, and a keen sense of being out of her league enveloped her, and she ignored Will as he asked something through the open back wall of the building.
Thankfully, the weather had been cooperative, and there had been no rain in the past couple of weeks. The restoration company had said rebuilding should begin this week, and Gretchen’s disappointment cut through her sharply when she realized it was Friday morning and there had been no rebuilding begun this week.
Will came back outside. “Did you hear what I asked?”
She just shook her head, ready to go home and go back to bed. She was making a few treats out of her kitchen and fulfilling online orders only. It was enough to keep her and Jon busy during the day, and Gretchen had work to do today.
“I asked why they haven’t even done the electrical yet,” he said.
Gretchen rubbed her forehead. “I don’t know, Will. I’m not a contractor or whatever.” She turned toward her car.
“Have you asked them?”
“No,” she said over her shoulder.
“Gretchen,” he said, plenty of irritation in his tone.
The emotion fired through her too, and she spun back to him. “What, Will? You don’t have to be here. I don’t ask you to come here every morning, and I certainly don’t need you to criticize me or what’s being done.”
He blinked, the frown between his eyes disappearing as he did. Gretchen pulled back on the lion roaring through her chest, but he couldn’t be tamed completely. “You stress me out,” she said. “Coming here and asking me questions I can’t answer. Or insinuating I should’ve done something different.” She took a deep breath and shook her head. “If you can’t just put your arm around me and ask me how I’m doing, then don’t come anymore.”
Will simply stared at her, and Gretchen turned to get in her van.
“Wait, whoa,” Will said, putting his hand on top of the minivan and crowding in behind her before she could open the door. “Don’t go. Not like this.”
She turned back to him and leaned into her van. She didn’t have much choice or much space to do anything else. “I’m sorry,” she said with a sigh. “I’m just tired, and you just came at me, and I don’t know. I couldn’t handle it today.”
“I didn’t mean to come at you.”
“I know.” She closed her eyes and tipped her head up toward him. “I don’t want to argue with you, but I don’t need more stress in my life.”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to add more stress to your life.”
She leaned into him and gripped the collar of his shirt in both of her fists. She opened her eyes and looked into his. His cowboy hat created a pocket of shade over the two of them, and she offered him a small smile. “I just want you to bring me pastries and stand with me. Listen to anything I have that’s new, or anything I want to tell you, and then kiss me so I know everything will somehow, someday, turn out okay.” Her heartbeat trembled in her chest, an indication that she was one breath away from a break-down.
She’d already cried so much in front of Will, and she didn’t want to do so again. Not now.
Will swallowed, took a few moments, and asked, “Anything new or anything you want to tell me today?”
She shook her head and took his face in her hands. “I’m making caramels today,” she whispered, tugging him closer to her. “I’ll need dinner about seven. Doable?”
“Absolutely,” he said, his voice as husky and as hitched as she liked it. “I’ll be there, and I’ll bring something for Elvis too.” He touched his lips to hers, and Gretchen let her eyes drift closed again, the mess that was the back of her shop gone when she kissed Will.
He broke the kiss and took her into an embrace. “Someday, somehow,” he said. “Everything will be okay. Okay?”
She couldn’t verbalize anything right now, so she simply nodded while he held her.
