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Her eyes landed on her father’s and her cheeks heated from his scrutiny. Tate and Aidyn walked in the door, saving her from any conversation with her father about how she knew what they liked, and she smiled.
“Good morning. I have coffee ready for you at the end of the counter and fresh cookies in the case.”
Tate’s smile transformed his already handsome face into a work of art.
“Good morning and thank you.”
Aidyn went directly to the coffee. Tate strode directly to her in front of her bakery case nearest the cookies.
“Those look amazing. I’ll take the tree and the house in the front please.”
“Thank you.” She pulled the cookies from the tray as Tate prepared his coffee.
Aidyn stopped at the glass case and grinned. “Just grab any two for me please.”
He pulled money from his wallet and dropped it on the counter. “I’ve got his too.”
Before she could comment he made his way to her father’s table near the window.
Tate stopped and picked up the plates with their cookies. “Your security system was out today?”
“Yeah. All the businesses in town had flashing lights and my garage door wouldn’t open this morning either.”
“We’ll take a look at the security system while we’re here.”
“Thank you.”
She watched him juggle the plates of cookies and his coffee. She almost ran around the counter to help him, but with his long legs, it didn’t take him more than five steps to reach the table.
She inhaled and busied herself with refilling the bakery case and helping customers. She wanted to know what Tate and Aidyn were speaking to her father about, but she didn’t want to appear nosy.
Luckily, or maybe unluckily, she had a steady stream of customers in the bakery as Tate and Aidyn met with her father. She noticed a couple of times how her father’s voice raised and she wondered what on earth they were talking about that would make him so angry. She could tell he was uncomfortable by the way he shrugged then rubbed his temples, she had seen him do it hundreds over the years.
She had her cookies cut out and on baking sheets. As soon as she had a break in customer traffic she popped back to the kitchen and slid two pans into the oven. She set her timer and went back to the front of the store as Millie LeBeau entered her store.
“Good morning, Lara. I wanted to stop in and check on your progress with the cookies for the Bourbon Ball.”
“I’ve made several dozen of them. I’ll be freezing them until next week then I’ll decorate the entire batch. Would you like me to decorate a couple sample cookies for you?”
“Oh, no dear.” The sweet lady shook her head and her hands in front of her. “I’m just following up on all of my checklist items.”
Tate turned a couple of times and listened to the conversation, or at least it appeared that way.
“Lara, did you hear what the BRR did out at the old sewing factory last night?”
That seemed to grab Tate’s attention completely, as he actually turned in his chair and actively listened.
“No. I didn’t hear anything.”
“Oh, it’s just more of the same, I suppose. But they threw rocks at the windows and broke the glass out of them. I just came from there and it is a mess.”
“Oh, no. That’s just terrible.”
“It certainly is.”
Tate stood and came over to chat with Millie.
“Why would they do that?”
