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“Yes, ma’am,” Rick murmured and crossed back to his own door.He slid his hands into his pockets.“Well, guess I’ll be seein’ you.Enjoy your trip.”
I let myself drink him in for a moment.Morning-mussed antique-gold hair, sleepy-eyes, sharp jaw.Some lucky woman would wake up to this every day, but it couldn’t be me.
“See you,” I replied softly, hearing his door close after I closed mine.
Slumping between my suitcase and the wall, I cried for everything I’d wanted in my life back home, and for everything I was running away from.
ChapterThree
Later, I microwaved a frozen meal (best before date: last week) and sent Jess a message telling her that Rick was a total gentleman and that I was safe, skipping the detail about sleeping at his house.I didn’t want her to think I’d leapt on the first available man for rebound sex.
I texted my parents, too, adding a snap of me in Jess’ kitchen to assure them I had arrived safely.They’d been very concerned as they saw me off at Heathrow.I’d been a mess of tears, half-wondering if I should put this trip off to try to fix things with Seb.
But finally, Mum had pointed out that I didn’t break anything, so why was it up to me to fix it?As ever, she was right, and that made me get on the plane.
After eating lunch, I walked to the bakery and peered into the window.It was beautiful, the window frames and door painted in mint green, the awning the same color with white lettering spelling out the nameCake Away,with a little smiling cupcake as the logo.Jess loved to doodle cupcakes like that when we were teens.We had always loved food and creating, so it was no surprise that we chose it for our careers.She convinced her mother and now-husband to go into business with her, and on the foundation of working as a pastry chef in a hotel kitchen, I built an online following that expanded into custom cake orders.
A hanging basket of flowers protruding from the bakery wall provided a riot of color and a note of welcome.
Theclosedsign was on display, but my Aunt Laurie worked inside, rolling out dough.I knocked on the window and she glanced up at me.Her lined face broke into a big grin.
Her resemblance to my mum when she smiled warmed my heart.
She hurried to the door, apron flapping, and yanked it open, pulling me into a hug.She smelled of warm dough and chocolate, and fresh tears pricked at my eyes.She said my name softly into my hair as I melted into her embrace.
“Hi, Aunt Laurie.”
“Hi, baby.”She kissed my hair, then stepped back, floury hands cupping my face.“Let me look at you.You’resopretty.Your mom sends me pictures, but it isn’t the same.I’m so sorry I didn’t come get you at the airport.”
“It’s really okay.”
She sighed.“It’s not.I know I’m in danger of narrowing my world, but ever since Benny died, I don’t like to drive too far, ‘specially at night.It makes me anxious.Don’t get old.”
I squeezed her arm.“You’re notold,Aunt Laurie.”
She waved my compliment away.“Enough of that for now.Come.Let’s bake stuff.”
Her enthusiasm uncurled the nerves that had been budding in my stomach on the walk over.I let her take my hand and lead me to the big workbench in the back of the bakery-come-cafe.And when I took an apron from the hook - mint green, of course - and washed my hands with the lemony soap, it felt natural.
What I’d be doing right now, at home, if only…
I put those thoughts aside.This was a holiday, wasn’t it?Not a pity party, at least, not right now.There’d be time for tears later.Now I wanted to enjoy my Aunt’s company, and to settle into my happy place, which I always found when baking.
“Sweet tea or coffee?”Aunt Laurie asked.
“Tea would be great.We can get bottled sweet tea in the UK, but it isn’t the same.”
As she poured from a pitcher, I picked up where she’d left off, shaping beautifully layered puff pastry and rolling slim sticks of cold Belgian chocolate into them, ready for baking tomorrow morning.
“How was the flight?”
I patted the chocolate into the next pastry.“Fine.Uneventful.Watched that new action film, you know, the one with the electric dinosaurs.”
Aunt Laurie smirked.“Worth a watch?”
“I was so tired that I fell asleep forty minutes in.”
She laughed and set my tea down and smoothed her hand along my hair again.“I’ll wait until it’s streaming, then.”She cleared her throat.“I just need to say this once.It’s a crying shame you didn’t bring that dirtbag down with you.There’d have been a long line to smash his face in.”
