AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Those words stuck with me throughout the day. Luckily, we had plenty of work to do. I kept my mind occupied, but as we headed into late afternoon, I saw my chance for alone time with Hannah slipping away. She’d only be at the bakery until five.
“Hey, boss man,” I said as I approached Paxton at around 4:30. “Mind if I head out a little early?”
He looked over at me and did a double take. His expression was initially serious, but then it softened when he saw me. I had been on this crew for two full years and had never once asked for so much as an hour off. I showed up when I was supposed to, did my job, and never complained.
“You okay?” Paxton asked.
I nodded. “Just a little bit of personal business I need to take care of.”
He glanced toward the parking lot. My truck was there, but a part of me wondered if he was thinking about the food truck. I’d overheard the guys talking about Paxton dating the woman who managed the bakery, and I assumed that was Hannah’s boss. So, it stood to reason he might know something was going on between the two of us.
It seemed everybody knew we’d broken off a relationship but me.
“Sure, man,” Paxton said. “See you bright and early Monday morning. Have a great weekend.”
I nodded and headed over to grab my insulated lunch bag. If anyone else noticed I stepped away, they didn’t show it. But I did see a couple of them glance over in my direction as I started my truck.
Fine. I’d give them something to talk about.
Hannah’s sister had said a grand gesture was in order to win her over. I didn’t have time for that. I’d just have to pour my heart out and hope for the best.
As I headed down the main strip, I thought about my late wife. Angela wouldn’t want me to spend the rest of my life alone. We’d never had that kind of discussion, though. We’d been young and feeling invincible. But we did talk about starting a family, and she knew how much I wanted kids.
And now, I’d been given a shot at building that life with someone. But had I blown it? Was I doomed to spend the rest of my days alone and miserable?
That was exactly how it would be if I couldn’t win Hannah back. Because now that I’d met her, I was sure she was the only woman for me. I just had to make sure she knew that too.
7
HANNAH
These mountain men sucked.
My day started with some guy named Will buying a batch of apple fritters for his pregnant wife. Now, a guy named Maverick stood in front of me, ordering his wife’s favorite cake. It was their anniversary, and he wanted to make it special.
“That’s so romantic,” I said, hoping my smile didn’t look forced. “Do you want it decorated?”
“You do that?” he asked.
I laughed. “Well, I don’t. Cheyenne, who owns this bakery, does the decorating. She keeps saying she’ll teach me, but I don’t have an artistic bone in my body.”
“I know Cheyenne,” he said. “She was the maid of honor in my buddy’s wedding.”
“Interesting,” I said, digging out the pen and order form from the drawer under the point-of-sale screen.
In truth, some story about a Blackbear Bluff wedding didn’t interest me at all right now. I just couldn’t seem to get my mind straight. All I could think about was that I was destined to die alone because the one man I thought I could spend the rest of my life with wasn’t over his late wife.
Once Maverick’s order was placed and he was out the door, I glanced at the time on my fitness band. Just twenty more minutes and I could close this place up. Maybe I could talk Tinley into heading over to Scoreboard Bar and Grill. I could drown my sorrows in red wine and the unhealthiest, most decadent item on their menu.
I closed my eyes, letting a smile wash over my face. I sighed as I pictured myself biting into a thick, juicy cheeseburger. But unfortunately, that image was immediately replaced by the look in Tucker’s eyes that day as he looked down at me. I’d been so sure I saw my feelings for him reflected back at me. How could I have been so stupid?
The sound of a car door slamming bolted my eyes open. I straightened, hands clasped in front of me on the counter. I braced myself for the next customer—probably Bryan from the hotel, grabbing a couple of apple fritters to eat on his night shift. Or Matthew Douglas, stopping by for a doughnut to eat on his way home. He always snuck those in so his wife didn’t know he was cheating on his diet.
But what appeared on the other side of that glass was not Matthew or Bryan. It was Tucker.
I sucked in a breath and blinked several times, sure I must be imagining things. Instead, he pulled on the door and stepped inside, looking around. Verifying I was alone, maybe?
“Hi,” I said. I was squeezing my thumb between my other thumb and forefinger. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if I cut off the circulation.
