I lick my dry lips so I can speak. “On one condition.”
“Name it,” he says quickly.
“I promise to come to you if I need to leave, but you have to promise me you’ll let me go.”
I watch his eyes struggle with my words. I know it’s not what he wants to hear, but it's what I can give him.
“I want a compromise,” he says. “Friends do compromises.” His lip slightly turns up, and I can tell he’s trying to lighten the situation for me.
“What’s your compromise?” I bite my lip as my nerves hit me. His gaze drops to my mouth, and I immediately release my lower lip. I can’t help but feel I’m in way over my head already, and I haven’t even begun to dip my toes in the water.
“You have to hear me out on all the reasons why you need to stay.”
“That’s it?”
“There are quite a few reasons, so it may take a while, but yes, that’s it.”
“Okay,” I say, nodding my head. “I promise to come to you if I need to leave.”
“Good.” He breaks out into a grin, and my heart jumps at the sight. “Just remember, best friends don’t break promises, so it’s unbreakable.
“I won’t break my promise,” I laugh.
“I’m holding you to it. I would really hate to have to chase you again. If you are fast on sand, lord only knows how fast you are on pavement.”
“You wouldn’t come close to catching me,” I grin.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. If it’s something I want, there is no stopping me until I get it.”
His eyes have a gleam to them, and my body responds with such intensity that I have to grip the counter for support. Why do I get the feeling I just made a deal with the devil?
A smirk plays on his lips as he lifts his arms above his head and rests them there. The ink swirls around every inch of his skin on his arms and chest. It would take hours to look at it all. He looks dangerous and sexy yet sweet and playful all at the same time. I finally meet his eyes again, and the sweet and playful disappear.
I have no doubt that Jake Montgomery always gets what he wants, and if the heat swirling around in those greys right now is any indication…I’m his next target.
“I look forwardto working with you, Lyla. I think you will be a great addition to our menu.” Laura smiles at me from across the table.
Knowing my boss doesn’t come in until later, I had Laura meet me during my break at work. We decided on three items she would offer individually on certain days and went over a drop-off schedule.
“Thank you for reaching out to me,” I smile.
If I can get a few more orders like this on a weekly basis, I could finally quit this job and be able to just focus on catering for Clara and building my business on the side.
“Are you kidding? When Meaghan called me and ravedabout you, I knew I had to meet you. She was right,” she laughs, gesturing toward her empty plate.
I made her my favorite banana muffin and went with a slice of apple pie, knowing she might like it for a cafe menu.
“My customers are going to love these.” She stands up and puts her bag over her shoulder. “I need to get back to work, and I know you do, too, so I won’t keep you any longer.” She puts her dark-rimmed glasses on top of her head and pulls me into a hug.
She reminds me a lot of Clara, and I immediately took a liking to her. Her kids are grown now, and her cafe is her baby. You can tell she loves the town and the people in it. I’m excited to see the cafe in person when I drop off my first delivery.
“I’ll see you on Monday then.” I walk with her to the door.
“I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to start adding you to the menu today,” she winks at me and steps outside.
We wave goodbye, and I clean up our table before heading back behind the counter. Julia left an hour ago, so I’m the only one here. She’s an older lady and keeps to herself, which I prefer anyway. She and I usually bake in the early mornings in silence, and she takes off as soon as the last items are baked. I tend to stay later, picking up extra shifts at the counter when I can.
I get busy refilling the missing items in the display case from the morning rush hour. I set a chocolate chip muffin down on the plate and can’t help the smile that stretches across my face when I think of Jake’s sweet tooth and our phone call last night.
