The Baker's Man (12 page)

“Stop thinking so hard,” he said and smiled at her. “You’re going to wrinkle your face permanently.”

She smacked his hand away, but she was smiling and losing herself in his too-blue eyes.

˜˜˜˜

Fred’s Diner was packed with the Saturday night crowd. Anna and Eli found the group sitting in a semicircle booth for six in the far back corner. Tessa’s face lit up as though someone shone a flashlight down from the ceiling. Anna imagined a speech bubble appearing above Tessa’s head saying, “He’s here! He’s here! He’s here!”

Tessa wore a carnation pink shirt and matching lipstick, the first color Anna had seen on her in months. It complemented the rose undertones in her dewy complexion. Her excitement brought out a youthfulness that made her eyes bright and eager. Tessa looked at Eli and patted the red vinyl beside her. Eli slid in and Anna sat beside him on the end. Jakob and Lily were across from them in the half circle.

Jakob leaned casually against the back of the booth with his arm hooked around Lily’s shoulders. He oozed calm with a healthy dollop of sex appeal. Jakob’s dirty blonde hair looked like Lily had been running her hands through it, and he still managed to look presentable and clean in a pressed button down shirt and khakis. The dimple in his left cheek reminded Anna of a mischievous little boy. His affable nature had always made him one of the most popular boys in school, and he was mostly oblivious to the stares he incited from women on a daily basis. Jakob grinned at them, but Lily looked as though she was lost in her own thoughts, not even registering they’d arrived.

Anna introduced Eli and Jakob. Once Jakob quizzed Eli on his sports preferences and realized they had a lot in common—which shocked Anna because she knew very little about sports—they were immediate friends. They spent the first few minutes sharing their opinions on quarterbacks and fumbles and biased referees. Anna’s neck prickled as Eli talked. How could he possibly have that kind of knowledge?

The waitress bustled over for drink orders, and Anna ordered a root beer float. Tessa ordered a glass of Muscadine wine, and Jakob ordered a Coors Light for him and Eli and a Terminator—the equivalent of three margaritas—for Lily.

“Lily, are you seriously going to drink that big thing?” Tessa asked, looking like she’d sucked a lemon slice.

Lily glanced up and shook her head. “Just water for me.”

Jakob nudged her with his elbow. “You always order the Terminator. Still not feeling good, baby?”

“I don’t want to push it,” she said, and he squeezed her shoulder.

Anna pushed her foot against Lily’s shin until she looked at her. “You okay?” Anna mouthed while everyone was busy looking over the menus. Lily discreetly shook her head and mouthed, “Later.”

They all ordered greasy diner fare, and Anna sucked down her root beer float, wishing she’d ordered something stronger. She needed it because Tessa had touched Eli at least a hundred times, and now Tessa’s hand was propped on his forearm while she talked. Tessa had also turned into a laughing machine. Eli was suddenly the most hilarious person on the planet. When he could, Jakob tried to interrupt the conversation so he could get a word in.

Jakob nursed his beer, and when Tessa paused after describing a recent mold problem affecting real estate in the area, Jakob leaned forward. “So, Eli, you work at the bakery? Ever think about a different type of culinary job?”

Eli grinned and swigged his beer. “You mean a more manly culinary job?”

Jakob snorted into his bottle. “Was it that obvious?”

Eli chuckled. “Why does everyone always think pastry chefs have to be women?” he asked, faking exasperation. “Actually, I’ve always wanted to own a sandwich shop with regular and gourmet options. Homemade chips.”

Anna’s mouth fell open, and vanilla ice cream dribbled onto her chin. “You have?” She snatched a napkin from the dispenser and wiped her face.

Eli shrugged. “Maybe a combination deli and bakery where people could eat lunch and have desserts available. Something near the ocean.”

Anna felt like someone pushed her beneath the broiler. Her skin itched. Then a gust of cold, briny air blew her auburn hair from her shoulders. Eli was creating his own life full of his own dreams and desires. He was becoming his own man, not just a man she created.

“Could I order, say, alfalfa sprouts on seven-grain bread with the crusts cut off?” Jakob asked and finished his beer.

“I pegged you as a club sandwich kind of guy,” Eli joked. “You come to my place, and I’ll make you the best girly sandwich you’ve ever had.”

The food arrived, and Anna stared at her bacon cheeseburger. She wasn’t sure she could stomach it. Tessa filled Eli’s ears with descriptions about the myriad properties in town that would be perfect for his deli. She couldn’t give him an ocean breeze, but she could give him a cheery location and a promise to visit every day.

Anna chewed a french fry and noticed Lily was pushing her country fried steak around with her fork. Her skin was olive drab, and her spiral curls drooped. She moved her plate away and excused herself to the bathroom. Anna waited a minute and then followed.

Anna stepped into the bathroom, which housed two separate stalls and a single sink made of Carolina blue ceramic. Lily flushed the toilet and emerged looking ashen and wobbly.

“You think you have the flu?” Anna asked.

Lily made a scoffing noise in her throat. “Hardly.” She threw cold tap water into her face and washed her mouth out.

“What is it then? You look like you feel terrible.”

“Thanks,” Lily snapped. She dried her face with a brown paper towel and poked at the skin beneath her eyes.

Anna leaned against the wall. The room reeked of hot grease and roasted espresso beans. “What’s going on?”

“It isn’t a good time.” Lily tried to walk past Anna.

Anna grabbed her arm. “Tessa knows.”

“Because she had time to listen to me.”

“That’s not fair,” Anna argued. “You know I had to go back to work. I
called
you, but you didn’t answer, and you didn’t respond to my texts.”

“I was mad at you,” Lily said. “And puking.” Frustration rippled off her like summer heat on asphalt.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve had a lot going on too. We made a man a few days ago, and he’s
living
with me, and I have feelings for him, and Tessa is clearly in love with him, and Baron hasn’t called me in days.” Anna’s eyes slowly filled with tears, and she blinked them furiously. “My life is a mess.” She wanted to tell Lily everything—about the house and the offer in Wildehaven Beach—but her throat felt as though she’d eaten marshmallow fondant and she couldn’t swallow.

“It’s not all about you,” Lily said. Tears sparkled in her restless eyes. “You’re not the only one with big problems.”

Anna gripped the edge of the sink to steady her legs. This was all wrong. She wasn’t supposed to be fighting with her best friend in a bathroom that stank of yesterday’s Philly cheesesteak and angst.

Then Lily’s shoulders slumped, and she rubbed her hands down her face. “I’m sorry, Anna. I feel like a cat left out in the rain.” She flipped the lock on the bathroom door to prohibit anyone else from entering. “I don’t mean to snap at you. I’ll tell you what I told Tessa, and I swear if you react the way she did, I’ll deck you and leave you on this sticky floor.” She managed a rueful smile.

Lily exhaled the same moment Anna’s cell phone rang in her back pocket. She reached to silence it and saw that it was Baron calling.

“It’s Baron,” Anna said, swaying on her feet.

Lily made a shooing motion with her hand. “Answer it. I’m not going anywhere.”

Without hesitating, Anna answered the phone. “Hey,” she said. “I’m good. How have you been? It’s been a while. I’m sure you were busy. Where are you? It’s so loud I can barely hear you. Is that a dance club? Who’s Valerie? Oh, okay, sure—call me later.” Anna held the phone to her ear even though Baron disconnected. She stared at someone’s marker scribbles on the stall wall. It read:
In Case of Emergency, call Candi
. Anna wondered if Candi could heal the sick feeling seeping through every vein, scalding her from the inside. “He’s at a club with someone named Valerie. I heard her laughing in the background. He sounded drunk.” Anna choked and leaned over to put her head between her knees. “I think I’m going to puke.”

“Maybe you’re pregnant too,” Lily said.

Anna popped up so fast she stumbled into the paper towel dispenser and cracked the side of her head. She looked as Lily with eyes so wide all the light from the room pulled toward her and dimmed. A burning October breeze, smelling of brittle leaves and dark earth set afire, wriggled beneath the locked door.

“You’re pregnant?”

Lily nodded, looking as breakable and frightened as a porcelain doll dangling from a second-floor window. Anna pulled her into a hug and held on until Lily relaxed. “Does Jakob know?” she asked.

“No,” Lily said. “I’m terrified to tell him. His mother will likely pull her dyed blonde hair from the roots. She’ll debate whether or not to sew the scarlet letter to my chest. We’re not married. We’re not even
engaged
. It’s so scandalous.”

Anna shoved her cell phone into her back pocket. “First of all, Hester Prynne was married to another man when she had her affair.”

“Who the hell is Hester Prynne?” Lily said, wiping at her tears.

“
The Scarlet Letter
. Never mind. Jakob adores you,” Anna said, grabbing toilet paper from a stall and handing it to Lily. “We’re adults, not teenagers any more. So you’re pregnant, so what? It’s a big deal, sure, but it’s not the end of the world. Jakob would marry you in a heartbeat.”

“He’s about to make partner at the firm. If they find out about this, he might not get it,” Lily cried. “They’re so conservative there.”

Anna inhaled slowly. “You’ll have the most beautiful baby. We’ll get you through this and figure out the best time to tell Jakob.” She smiled.

Lily wiped at her eyes and smiled sadly. “Thanks for not reacting like Tessa. She freaked out so badly I puked in her office.”

“You added color. An improvement,” Anna said. “From what I hear the new color is intense.”

Lily grabbed Anna’s arm. “Don’t go in there. It’s blinding. For hours afterward, everywhere I looked was streaked with orange.” She laughed.

“I’m glad you’re not going to punch me and leave me on this floor because I think that gum has been there for at least a month.”

“Longer,” Lily said.

Someone knocked on the door. “Y’all okay?” Tessa asked.

Lily checked her reflection in the mirror and pinched her cheeks for color. She nodded and Anna unlocked the door.

“Just peachy,” Anna said as she opened the door. If peaches were confused and scared and clinging to their best friends so they didn’t drown.

10
Black Sticky Gingerbread

Anna wrapped herself in a quilt and sat cross-legged in the bay window. She cradled a mug of hot chocolate. She’d convinced Eli to sleep in her bed while she took the couch. It was 8:30 a.m., and he was still snoozing away in her comfortable bed. But maybe his sleeping late had more to do with the fact that he’d stayed out until nearly 11 p.m. helping Tessa. Over dinner, Tessa had mentioned wanting to rearrange the furniture in her condo to improve the layout, and Eli had offered to help.

Anna was tucked in on the couch when he’d come home. She’d wanted to ask him about his evening, but he’d seemed out of sorts and exhausted when he finally shuffled through the door. He hadn’t even put up much of an argument about taking the bed from her. He’d said thank you and disappeared into her bedroom.

Anna placed her mug on a book and picked up the contract for the bakery in Wildehaven Beach. She rested it on her knees and flipped through the pages. The contract couldn’t have shown up at a worse time. She knew she should probably move into the Clarke House. At least her mother would be thrilled, but Anna couldn’t forget the bakery or the way the ocean breeze called to her. She leaned forward and exhaled a breath against the windowpane. Then she drew a question mark into the fogged glass.

Anna heard Eli rustling around in the bedroom, his bare feet on the hardwood. She turned to see him step into the living room. His hair stuck out from one side of his head, and he had the sleepy, innocent blue eyes of a little boy. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty,” she said. The room filled with the lingering scent of sugar and cinnamon.

Eli grinned and pointed to the window. “What’s the question of the day?” he asked.

Anna flapped the contract in the air. “How to break the news to Mr. Cornfoot that I won’t be buying the bakery from him.”

Eli frowned and moved a few books so he could sit next to her in the bay window. “You’re giving up on Wildehaven Beach?”

Anna exhaled and fogged up the corner of the windowpane. She drew a frowny face. “I’m not giving up. I’m doing what’s right.”

“Right for you? Or for everyone else?” He picked up her mug and sipped her hot chocolate.

“I put in an offer on the Clarke House. I’m going to buy it. It’s a great house.” She looked at him and resisted the urge to reach out and pat down his wild hair. “But I want to do both. I want to live in the Clarke House in Wildehaven Beach.”

Eli finished her drink. “You want more?” She shook her head. He walked into the kitchen and refilled the mug for himself. “Why don’t you call Lily and drive to the beach. Take another look at it. Make sure you really don’t want it anymore.”

Anna uncrossed her legs and stood. “I like that idea. We have the day off and no plans.” She folded the quilt and draped it over the chair. Then she grabbed her cell phone and called Lily. After a short conversation, she hung up and frowned. “She doesn’t feel well today. Would you want to go with me?”

Eli smiled. “Love to.” He caught his reflection in the oval mirror in the kitchen. “Whoa, look at my hair. Looks like I had a rough night.” His laughter filled the apartment, and Anna felt the walls swell.

“How
was
your night?” she asked, chuckling as he tried to smooth down the unruly side of his head.

Eli stopped laughing and rubbed the back of his neck. He stared at the magnetic poetry words on the refrigerator and shuffled them around. “It was okay. We moved her stuff.”