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Today, I get to the bakery in late afternoon, near closing time. I order a bear claw and coffee. Caroline sees me from the back room where she’s cleaning up. “Hey! Give me a minute. I’ll be right out.” She makes good coffee and great bear claws. But it’s her dimpled smile that brings me here.
I sit at the small table by the window, looking across at the fountain as I wait for my coffee to cool. Caroline comes out, pours herself a cup, and sits down across from me. I like that this has become our thing.
She tells me nobody out of the ordinary has come by. I let her know that my guys haven’t seen anything strange, either. We make a little small talk. Then I get to the point. I don’t want to sit with it for too long.
“Caroline. I want to take you out to dinner tonight.”
“Oh.” She’s a little surprised. But not shocked. And not offended. “Listen.”Shit. I take a sip of coffee. Bracing myself for the awkwardness that’s coming. “When you came here the first day, you said you wanted to make an offer on the property. What was that about?”
“Right.” I hadn’t brought it up with her again. She’s not the owner. Her uncle is, and until we know if he’s still alive or not, she can’t do anything but keep it going. The only guy that could sell it is missing. “We’re buying properties in the neighborhood.”
“We?” She asks. “The Italian —“
“Yes,” I interrupt her.
“And what would you do with this place if you bought it?”
“That depends. The bakery could still lease it, we would just own it. Or if your uncle wanted to retire, we’d probably build some new condos. But it would be off-limits to Kelly and the Irish.”
“I see.” She does look like she gets the idea. But she doesn’t look happy. “I don’t want to sell it. Even if my uncle —“
“I know.” I interrupt her again. “I already know what this place means to you.”
“You won’t try to make me sell it?”
I feel bad that she even thinks I would force her. But I get it. She’s not dumb.
“I’ll protect you from anyone who tries to make you do anything you don’t want to do. I promise you that.”
She nods. It’s hard to tell what she’s thinking. Then she breaks the silence. “Well, I should get back to work.”
I smile at her. I meant what I said. I will protect her no matter what. Even if our feelings aren’t mutual.
She stands up and pushes in her chair. “I better get things cleaned up,” she continues. “I should try to get out of here early if you’re taking me out to dinner.”
She walks back toward the kitchen. It dawns on me what she just said.
“What time?” I call out.
“6:30. I’ll text you my aunt’s address.” She disappears into the back.
I scoop up my bear claw and coffee and walk outside into the sunny afternoon.
9
CAROLINE
I closeup the bakery as quickly as I can and then rush back to my aunt’s house. It’s not like I need a lot of time to get ready usually. Getting up at the crack of dawn to bake has taught me how to be efficient. But it’s been so long since I’ve prepared for a first date that I’m not sure how long I need to do real hair and makeup. When I get to my aunt’s, I text Raf the address.
He told me today that his original intent when we met was to buy the bakery as part of their larger plan. He didn’t have to tell me as much as he did. For all he knows I could use the information to bargain with the Irish. For some reason, he seems to trust me, though. He said he wouldn’t pressure me, and I believe him. I can’t make any decisions right now anyway. The bakery isn’t mine. Hopefully my uncle will show up soon. But each day, the chances of that happening decrease drastically.
The neighborhood is torn between Irish and Italian Mafia. Everyone growing up around here knows these feuds get violent. Nobody’s safe. Innocent people end up paying. That’s the way it is. It’s bigger than us. It’s like a natural disaster. You know you’re never 100% safe. You just hope you’re not caught in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I see the warning signs. I’ve already had close encounters with both sides. Threatened by one and invited to dinner by the other. How did I get caught up in this? And Uncle Allen. Did he see things developing and try to make the bakery neutral to protect himself and Aunt Lisa? Am I putting myself in danger by getting closer to Raf? Can he really protect me? And when it comes down to it, will he?
I don’t know the answers to any of this. But I think one date should be safe enough.
After I shower, I stare at my closet for a while thinking, wondering what to wear. Raf didn’t say where we were going, so I’m not exactly sure how to dress. I don’t want to overdo it, but I also don’t want to be too casual. I need something that could go in either direction.
