AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter Fourteen
The afternoon sun filtered through the large front windows of Sweet Delights as Eva sat behind the counter sipping an iced coffee. With no customers at the moment, she was enjoying the brief quiet lull. In the back kitchen, she could hear faint noises of Michael washing dishes and tidying up after the lunch rush. Soft acoustic music played over the speakers, adding to her relaxation.
Just as Eva was considering taking out her tablet to doodle some ideas for new cake designs, the bell above the door jingled. She glanced up from her coffee and felt a thrill shoot through her chest when she saw Claire walk in, her skin glowing in the sunlit bakery. She wore a flowing linen top. The sleeves and neckline were wide and off the shoulder, exposing light freckles across her delicate collarbones.
As Eva's eyes trailed over Claire's exposed collarbones and shoulders, she felt the nearly irresistible urge to reach out and run her fingertips along that delicate freckled skin. She imagined tracing patterns across her skin. What would it feel like to gently grasp Claire by the waist and draw her in close enough to tenderly kiss each and every warm freckle? Eva's heart quickened at the thought, heat rising in her cheeks.
"Afternoon, Claire!" Eva said warmly, hoping she didn't sound overly eager. "How's your day going so far?"
Claire smiled, approaching the counter slowly as her gaze traveled over the tempting array of pastries behind the glass. "It's going well. I wanted to pop in and get something sweet," she replied. Her eyes met Eva's again, making Eva swallow thickly. "How about you? Staying cool on this hot day?"
"Oh yeah, the AC is cranked up to the max in here," Eva laughed. "And I've been indulging in iced coffees to get through the afternoon." She lifted her chilled glass as proof.
"Hmm..." she murmured, clearly deep in contemplation about what delicious option to choose.
After a few more moments of careful perusal, Claire seemed to hone in on the snickerdoodles, neatly arranged on a tiered stand. "I think I'll go with one of these this time," she said decisively, pointing to the cookies dusted in cinnamon sugar. "And maybe an iced coffee too," she added.
Eva grinned, she'd had to stop herself from eating all the cookies as soon as they had come out of the oven. "Excellent choices," she said, grabbing a paper bag for the cookie.
As Eva rang up her order, she found herself wishing Claire would stay and chat instead of disappearing to one of the tables. To her pleasant surprise though, Claire leaned casually against the counter as Eva prepared her coffee. "Would you like caramel and vanilla in it?" Eva offered.
Claire made a sound of pleasure that went straight through Eva, deepening her blush. "That sounds delicious. Is that what you're drinking?"
"It's what I drink everyday, either hot or iced depending on the weather," Eva confessed. "So I hope you like it."
Claire grinned. "I'm sure I will."
"How's your sister doing?" Eva asked, hoping she wasn't overstepping by bringing up Claire's personal life.
"She's doing really well. I should call and catch up with her more often. When David was alive I was so busy, I didn't make as much time for her as I should have. Now, well, now I just need to call her more. No excuses anymore. It's good to have her close, to know that if I needed her she could be here in less than an hour, not a day."
Eva slid the finished coffee across the counter along with the cookie wrapped in a paper sleeve. "Always nice to have someone who has your back."
"Do you have any siblings?" Claire asked before taking an appreciative sip of the cold brew.
"No, just me," Eva said. "The perks of being an only child. Though it might've been nice to have a built-in friend growing up like you and Julia. Though I do think of Michael as my little brother as well as my best friend."
Claire nodded. "We definitely leaned on each other a lot. I can't imagine my childhood without her. Speaking of childhood, where did you grow up?" Claire asked. "Have you always lived around here?"
Eva nodded, leaning casually on the bakery counter. "Actually, I'm local, born and raised right here," she replied. "I've never lived anywhere outside of this little town. My childhood home is just a few streets away from the bakery."
She gestured out the window at the quaint downtown street. "I used to walk to school every day right down that road. And I worked part-time jobs all over this neighborhood growing up - the flower shop, the bookstore, the ice cream parlor that used to be on the corner."
"So this was your dream even as a kid then?" asked Claire. "To run your own bakery?"
"Very much so. I went to culinary school, learned how to be a pastry chef, and it snowballed from there. I started with custom cakes and I got so busy that I had to pull in Michael for help. Not long after that he was quitting his job at the liquor store to come work for me full time."
Claire chuckled. "That's amazing you knew your passion so early. I definitely didn't have it all figured out as a kid." She took a bite of the snickerdoodle cookie, the cinnamon sugar dusting her lips.
Eva couldn't help but watch. Building up her courage, she reached across the counter and gently wiped the corner of Claire's mouth with her thumb.
"Just a few little crumbs," she explained, hoping she wasn't being too obvious. Claire's eyes widened slightly but she just smiled, making no move to pull away from Eva's touch.
Heart racing, Eva slowly retracted her hand, the feel of Claire's soft skin lingering. An undeniable connection hummed between them.
Just as Eva contemplated whether she dared try to take Claire's hand, the swing door to the back kitchen suddenly pushed open.
"Hey Eva, do we have more cupcake liners...oh!" Michael halted mid-sentence, taking in the scene before him.
