AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No, don’t be sorry. It’s your house. But, boy, I sure kicked your ass with that spatula.” She came right up to him, fighting back a smile. “You okay? Did you need stitches?”
Of course, the rubber spatula had landed nowhere near him, so he just grinned. “I’ll live.”
Taking a step back, she glanced at the clock. “What’re you doing up so early?”
“Cold fingers on my toes.” Her expression was comical, and he realized how it sounded. “No, not—”
“Hey.” She held up both hands. “You’re a single man. It’s none of my business who touches your toes.”
He chuckled. “It was my daughter. She woke me up because the ranch manager was at the door.”
It didn’t take more than a second for her to figure it out. “Because of me?”
“Yeah. Right behind that row of trees”—he pointed out the window—“is the bunkhouse.”
She looked, but of course, she couldn’t see anything but woodland. “Oh, my God. I woke everyone up. I amsosorry.” Color rushed into her cheeks. “Do you want me to go? I can find a motel in town.” She looked so worried he could hardly stand it.
“No. You don’t have to go anywhere. The guys are fine.”
“It won’t happen again, I promise.”
“I know. Don’t worry about it. You can play music. Just not as loud.”
“Oh, my God. I feel terrible. I had no idea anyone was around.”
“Well, that’s on me. I didn’t explain anything.” He gestured to the trays. “So, what’s all this for?”
“Oh. I couldn’t sleep last night. I just kept thinking, going over every minute of my relationship. When I spiral like that, the only cure is to bake. It’s my happy place. I guess I got carried away.”
“You don’t make this for Renzo’s, right?” She’d said her parents didn’t think their customers wanted fancy stuff—and it didn’t get fancier than this.
“Oh, no. I do strictly croissants, turnovers, and muffins. My aunt and cousins make the sandwiches and picnic baskets.”
“These look professional. Are you trained?”
“I am, actually. Much to everyone’s disappointment, I dropped out of college. It started for a terrible reason but wound up being the best thing that could’ve happened.”
“What was the reason?”
“Ian and I went to different colleges. When he joined a frat, he dumped me. That was our first breakup, and I was sure he’d go wild and sleep with every girl on campus.” Her voice trailed off, and she grew contemplative.
“Did he?” He couldn’t help reaching out and brushing her cheek. Not just because of the flour but because she was so obviously struggling, and he had no way to comfort her.
She lowered her chin, turning away slightly. “No. He didn’t. In fact, we were back together by Christmas. But we broke up a million more times after that over the years. I was just realizing, though, that I stopped caring what he did on our breaks. That really says something, you know?”
As much as he wanted to comfort her, he supposed the point of this getaway was to come to terms with the end of her long-term relationship. “Well, hopefully, you had fun on your breaks, too.”
“You bet I did. At first, I was miserable, waiting forhimto decide whether we’d be together, but then I went to culinary school. I chose the Culinary Institute because it was three hours from Boston and four from home, but once I got into it, I totally stopped waiting. It was like I found myself.” She shot him an apologetic look. “Listen to me babbling. You came over here to tell me to turn the music down, and then I go on and on about my relationship.”
“Don’t worry about it. Isn’t that why you’re here? To get a fresh perspective on things?” He gestured to a tray. “Have your parents seen what you can do? I can’t imagine anyone not liking this stuff.”
“Well, thank you. That makes me happy to hear, but no. I gave up trying to convince them years ago. Our customers don’t eat Paris-Brest or opera cake. That’s a whole other clientele.”
He supposed he could see that. Sailors wanted breakfast food. Something quick and not too messy. “So, what’re you going to do with all this?”
“I guess I could give it to the hands as an apology.”
“You could. But since you need cash, why not try to sell it? There’s a farmer’s market at the fairgrounds every Saturday.” Which was the day after tomorrow.
