“She’s adventurous.” Even without Claire saying so, he could see that she was as proud of her daughter as she was the sandcastle cakes. The emotion was there, shining in her eyes.
Claire laughed. She shook her head, her lips tilting in an expression of chagrin. “She sure doesn’t get it from me. I’ve barely left Lobster Bay my entire life.”
“From where I’m sitting, Lobster Bay isn’t a bad place to be.”
A small furrow formed between her eyebrows as she studied him. After a moment, she took another bite of cupcake. “Why did you choose Lobster Bay for your store location? We don’t have much to offer to draw in big chain stores.”
Rob lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Sentimentality, I guess. It’s not a bad spot for a store. No other bakery specializing in bread is nearby. It’s in the center of a chain of towns, and there is the flood of tourists every year. But mostly…” He turned his gaze to the window. The overhead light mirrored on the glass, throwing his reflection back at him. Beyond it, he could barely make out the shape of his shop. “I vacationed here when I was a teenager. I fell in love with it then. The last time was when I was fifteen.” He turned his attention to her, catching her gaze with his. “I could have sworn that I remembered you from that time.”
She shrugged. Rob searched her face for a sign that she really did remember him. He didn’t see one, yet he was positive she was the girl he remembered. Apparently, he hadn’t made a lasting impression.
“Why didn’t you come back?” Claire’s voice was soft, and she leaned slightly forward, as if weighing his answer.
“My mom got sick after that. Cancer.”
“I’m so sorry.” She lifted her hand, almost as if she meant to comfort him. He wished she would touch him, breach that gap between them, but her hand fell back to her coffee mug, and she took a sip.
He nodded solemnly, accepting her condolences. He’d gotten good at that. “After she died, I guess I just went through all the motions like I thought I should. I went to college and got a business degree. I started baking bread after I graduated. My mom always baked bread, and I guess it was familiar and comforting. I turned it into a job. I met the love of my life, got married, and then she…”
“You don’t have to talk about that,” Claire said in a rush. She looked horrified.
“No, it’s okay. That was a while ago, and it’s not so painful anymore.” He looked up at her, pinning her hazel eyes with his gaze. “Truth is I’m ready to move on, make a new start. That’s why I chose Lobster Bay for my store.”
Claire’s eyes widened, and she looked away, but before she did, he saw a little spark. Was it a spark of interest? Or sympathy for his wife’s death? Rob couldn’t tell. At the very least, he felt he had removed some of her suspicion about his reason for coming there. Maybe now was a good time to ask about working together again.
He finished the cupcake in front of him as he practiced the words in his head.
“Your sale on Saturday will go off without a hitch. You bake fantastic cupcakes. I’m sure your customers will be begging for more.”
Pink tinged her cheeks, and her smile was bright. “Thank you.”
He leaned forward. “I think you can do even better if we take advantage of our shops being across the street to capitalize on your sale and my grand opening. It will get us both customers.”
A hint of wariness entered her gaze. “How?”
“For one thing, we could set up a small table at each other’s store. A tabletop sign or some flyers with the details, a few bite-sized free samples. I would cut some bread into cubes and put them out with cheese dip. If you made a batch of mini cupcakes or even cut up some of the larger ones into quarters, it could serve the same purpose. We’ll drive customers across the street. Because it isn’t far, I’m sure we’ll get a lot of foot traffic that way.”
For a moment, Claire didn’t say anything. Her mouth was pursed. She was clearly thinking hard.
He counted that moment as a triumph. If she wasn’t dismissing the idea right off the bat, he was starting to get through to her. The evidence of progress made his heart sing. He didn’t mind putting in a little extra effort for Claire.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Good. Can I help you clean up?” He picked up his plate and mug, then stood, the chair scraping back on the floor.
“Oh, no. It will only take me a second.” She took the plate and mug from him.
“Okay then. Thanks for the snack.” He started toward the back door then turned. “Let me know what you decide either way. I promise you, I only want what’s best—for both of us.”
Words would only take him so far. He didn’t want to overstay his welcome and give her a chance to distrust him. He bid her goodnight and left. He didn’t want to leave. He could have stayed up all night talking to her. There were still so many things about her that he didn’t know, so many things about his life he wanted to share. But all of that would come in time, if he had his way.
He hadn’t become the owner of a successful business with multiple locations by giving up at the first sign of trouble. He wasn’t going to quit now, not when he was just starting down the path to his well-earned new beginning.
This time, he was going to get things right.
Chapter Eighteen
Claire completed her morning routine on autopilot. Her body was there, petting and feeding Urchin, getting ready for work, but her mind remained on Rob’s proposal. Work together. Could they?
