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“Of course I am worked up about this!”
“Okay, okay.” Baylee took a seat on a counter stool opposite Meg. “I’ll stop teasing. I’m sorry. I just truly don’t understand what the big deal is. I know you have said you aren’t quite ready to date someone, but you know you’re settled here in Silver Bay and Chet seems interested so…” She lifted a shoulder and let it fall. “How harmless could a date be? Let alone running.”
“I don’t date firemen.” Meg took a sip of her wine.
Baylee nodded. “Yes, you’ve shared with me that much. And I promised as your friend I wouldn’t hound you to tell me why, but…”
A timer went off on the kitchen counter and Baylee stood. She moved around the large kitchen island, put a hot pad over her hand, and took a tray of garlic bread from the oven. Meg’s stomach growled. It was only then that she realized the granola bar she’d eaten earlier was all she’d had since breakfast. That also explained why she was already starting to feel the few sips of wine she’d taken. She moved to the refrigerator, grabbed a water bottle, then sat back down. She had watched Casey countless times and spent half of her free time at Baylee’s place, making her house a second home to Meg.
Baylee stayed true to her word and didn’t push. She moved around the kitchen, tossing pasta in a colander and then adding it to a bowl with the sauce. Kitchen tongs in hand, she blended the two ingredients, adding a dash of spice here and there.
Meg enjoyed the simplicity of their friendship. Baylee’s kind demeanor, mixed with not pushing Meg to share too much too often, was why Meg allowed Baylee into her life more than most people. That and Casey. Where most people tended to be thrown off by his adult demeanor and, at times, brutal honesty about things, Meg found it refreshing. With Casey what you saw was what you got. No games. No garbage. Baylee, too, for that matter. While Meg was closed tight as a drum about her feelings and her life, Baylee was an open book. It made them a perfect pair. Meg could ask Baylee anything and then sit and listen while not having to share too much about herself.
Baylee accepted her as is, and Meg would always appreciate that about her.
Sure, there had been times when Meg was tempted to let her guard down and share her past with Baylee. Tell her the whole story. It had been a leap of faith for Meg to even sharewith Baylee that she didn’t date firemen. Since Baylee knew Meg had been a firefighter when she lived in San Jose, Baylee had assumed Meg just didn’t like the type. Meg never corrected her.
And that was where Meg’s courage had stopped. To share any more would mean to let someone into that space that she had kept tight for so long. If she opened the flood gates of emotion, she feared it would be too much for her to handle. And she didn’t want to burden her friend with it either. It was her story. Her baggage to carry.
Baylee made up two plates of pasta with sauce and garlic bread. She set one in front of Meg and then one in front of the chair she settled into.
“Where’s Casey?” Meg turned and looked into the family room.
“He’s in his room. He wanted to finish a chapter in his baseball statistics book before he ate.” She shrugged. “There was no use arguing. And I figured we could sit and eat and chat just us.”
Meg nodded. “Thank you for this.”
“You’re welcome.”
They both dove in, winding pasta around their forks. Meg took a moment to savor the flavors, grateful for a friend who cooked as well as Baylee did.
“Whether you want to talk about it or not, you are signed up for this buddy running thing.” Baylee giggled at the phrase. “Unless you fake an injury or somehow find a way to give yourself the flu, you’re going to have to show up.”
Meg laughed a little as well, the wine and food along with the company making her relax. “I know. And it sucks.”
Baylee smiled. “You talk a cynical game, Meg Malone, but I know you better than that.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
Baylee leaned forward and took Meg’s hand in hers. “It means that you are a kind and generous woman. You care a lot about your community, and you are a wonderful friend. You have a lot to offer someone in this life and you deserve to not live it alone and grumpy.”
“I’m not grumpy.” Tears formed in her eyes, but she’d be damned if she’d let them fall.
Baylee squeezed her hand and then let it go. “You are a little. But underneath it all is a lot of love to give as well as a beautiful soul worthy of receiving it.”
Baylee took a sip of her wine, then went back to swirling noodles around her fork.
Meg swallowed her tears with a sip of wine. She appreciated Baylee’s words and knew in her heart that Baylee truly believed what she said about Meg.
If only she could believe it about herself.
Chapter Nine
Baylee’s Bakery wasbusy.
Tables ran all along the side wall as well as the front of the bakery. It was cozy and bright, with a large, ornate shelving system that covered the wall behind the main counter. Cake plates, boxed baking sets, and decorative teapots adorned the shelves. The glass case attached to the counter that held the cash desk was filled with baked goods in all shapes, sizes, and colors.
Meg’s heart pounded. She thought for sure everyone in the place could see it thumping against her chest whether she wore multiple layers of clothing or not.
