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She was beautiful, I had to admit, with her long, red hair and the freckles that covered her face. She was a kind of beauty I had never seen before, and I didn’t know how to describe her. She looked delicate, pristine, as though she had never done anything wrong in her life, and despite all of that, I could still see trouble written all over her expensive shoes.
I walked back to the bakery from my break and changed my shirt, making sure I washed my hands before making my way back to the counter. I always kept an extra shirt in the back because if Lenora smelled the smoke on me, she would come after me with a spatula.
“Those things'll kill you, y’know?” Lenora snuck up behind me as I was putting my apron back on. She was always badgering me about my smoking. I didn’t need her to tell me how bad it was, though. Everyone knew the dangers of smoking, and yet the knowledge hadn’t stopped me from picking them out of my dad’s coat pocket when I was twelve.
“I know, I know. I promise I’ll quit one of these days. Just for you, Lenora.” I picked up a toothpick and popped it in my mouth.
Lenora shook her head. “Tuck, I hope you do it for yourself.”
The next customer came in, and I looked up when I heard the chime. I’d expected it to be Barty McDaniels, the town grouch with a sweet tooth—he always came in after lunch for his daily sweet treat, harping about one thing or another—but instead, my eyes landed on her.
She walked up to the counter, her heels clicking on the floor with each step she took, and every head in the bakery turned to look at her. Rosie from the floral shop narrowed her eyes and whispered to Angelina who sat across from her, a slice of half-eaten apple pie on her plate.
I wondered where the girl had come from and where she was headed. I was sure Aveline must have just been a pass-through, a pit stop on her way to somewhere more important. She wasn’t the company we normally saw in our town—at least, not the ones who stayed for any time at all. Most people would just pass on through Aveline as quickly as they blinked, never giving us a second glance, but then again, this girl seemed to be walking up to the counter as though she belonged.
Her eyes met mine and I swore I saw a flicker of amusement in them. They were green. A shade of green that I had never seen in a pair of eyes before. They reminded me of those pine tree air fresheners that people hung in the rearview mirrors of their cars.
She crossed her arms over her chest. “You again.”
I placed my hands on the counter, gripping it. “Me.”
“You work here?” She readjusted the strap on her purse and looked into the glass case at the pastries.
I moved the toothpick in my mouth from one side to the other. “Nope. I just like wearing the apron.” I gestured down to my white apron that read, “REAL MEN BAKE.”
She licked her lips, smiling, and I realized there was a dimple on each one of her cheeks. “I mean, it’s a great apron.”
“Yeah, sometimes I even wear it when I’m not working. I just like itthatmuch.”
We paused for a moment, eyeing each other with interest.
“Well, I must say, you being a baker would not have been my first guess.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “And where would you expect to see me working?”
“I don’t know,” she said. “A cigarette shop, maybe. Discounts on your terrible habit.”
“Cute.” I lowered my arms and placed both of my hands on the counter in front of me again. “Since you know mine, I feel like it’s only fair if you tell me ifyouhave any terrible habits.”
The girl stood up straighter and ran her hands through her hair. “Actually, I do,” she replied, not entirely convincingly. “Really, really horrible ones.”
“I find that hard to believe,” I said. “You don’t look like the kind of girl who ever does anything bad.”
This time, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Well, you don’t know anything about me. They are completely unspeakable even.” She leaned in closer and hushed her voice. “Things I probably shouldn’t say here and that make your little smoking one,” she pointed at me and waved her finger around, “look juvenile.”
I raised an eyebrow. I didn’t believe her for a second. “Okay, princess. I’m sure you do.”
She scoffed and moved toward the glass cabinet. “I don’t need to explain myself to you,” she replied as she pulled her wallet out of her purse, mulling over the choices.
“Nope, you certainly don’t,” I said, feeling a bit beguiled. “So, is there anything in particular you’re looking for?”
I glanced up at the rest of the customers, feeling the eyes of Rosie and Angelina on us, watching our every move. I was certain that between them and Lenora hovering in the back, the entire town already knew there was an outsider here and that I had been unashamedly flirting with her.
The girl pointed at a donut with chocolate icing and sprinkles. “That one. Please.”
I grabbed a glove, picked up the donut, and put it into one of our bags before folding over the top. “Good choice. Made that one myself.”
“Well, in that case, can I have this one instead?” She pointed to another one in the case and then smiled and took her card from her wallet. “Just kidding.”
