He squeezed her hand. “Not yet, but I plan to.”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Claire would have been hard-pressed to believe it at the time, but now, three weeks later, she could see that the pipes bursting in Sandcastles had a silver lining. It had opened her up to trusting Rob. That became a cornerstone of their working relationship.
Since then, Claire had worked from a small corner of Bradford Breads. Her profits were carefully listed in a ledger next to the cash register, and every Friday, Rob paid her promptly for the sales she’d made. Her regulars griped about not having their usual tables to eat breakfast at, especially if the weather outside was too dreary or blustery to sit out at the sidewalk tables. Very soon, they would have nothing to complain about.
The best part was that insurance had paid for most of the repairs. Claire didn’t have to take out a loan, and the dent in her savings wasn’t too bad either.
She’d hired Ralph that same day to begin work on the pipes. He was giving them a complete overhaul. She suspected he was giving her a break on the price. Supplying him with cookies, brownies, and cupcakes every day might have had something to do with that.
It was busy having both of them in the bread shop, but Hailey kept things running smoothly. Rob had insisted on paying her extra because it was more work. Claire didn’t argue. She knew Hailey was worth every penny.
They operated surprisingly well together, too, she mused as they strolled along the Marginal Way, a habit they’d formed while speaking of business. He loved the calming effect of the ocean every bit as much as she did. It felt less formal than dinner together—which they’d also shared several times—but the fact that they were coming up there to brainstorm joint marketing strategies for her bakery reopening in another week made the well-worn path something indefinable. Their talks were starting to feel less like business and more like dates, especially when they veered to more personal matters.
Claire still hadn’t confessed to Rob that shehadbeen the girl he kissed so many years ago. She hadn’t worked up the courage. But sometimes, as they walked on the narrow path, their hands brushed, and she wondered,What if…?
“You know the last thing I want is to take business away from you.” Rob sounded hesitant, which jarred her back to the conversation at hand: an idea she had to integrate their two bakeries a little more.
“I know. That’s why we would exchange goods.” She paused at the bottom of the cliffside path. The wind whipped her hair in front of her eyes. She tucked it behind her ear instead and craned her neck back to look him in the eye. “I think it’s a good idea. I would make sweet breads like banana bread, chocolate zucchini bread, that sort of thing. In exchange, you give me loaves of your bread to use for sandwiches in my shop. I noticed you don’t offer drinks in yours, only bread, so customers are more likely to stay and have a meal in mine. If we put stickers on the bags saying those things come from each other’s shops, I’m sure we’ll find curious customers who travel across the road for more.”
“You already make bread,” he pointed out, his face expressionless.
“And I hate it,” she confessed. “I’ve never done a good job at it, and for the amount of work it takes, I’d rather bake a batch of croissants. I could use the bakery case space for pastries. Besides, I’ve tasted your bread. It’s much better than mine ever was.”
Was it her imagination, or was that a blush creeping up Rob’s neck?
“My daughter suggested the idea,” she added. “She says it will be good for marketing to have each other’s products so integrated in our shops.”
One side of his mouth lifted in a smirk. “I’d like to meet Tammi someday. She sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders.”
Claire beamed. “She does. She’s very smart. Takes after her mother.”
“Then I very much look forward to meeting her.” Rob spoke the words with a distracted air as he approached one of the large cedar trees dotting the path. Without warning, he took Claire’s hand in his and tugged her along after him, into a secluded area off the path next to the tree.
It was the same place he had kissed her when she was a teenager. Claire’s stomach swirled with butterflies. She bit her lower lip, uncertain.
His eyes were warm on her face. “Do you remember this place?”
“Of course. I’ve lived here my whole life.”
“Well, I haven’t, but I remember it very well.” He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. “I once kissed a very special girl in this spot.”
The butterflies swelled until they felt like songbirds. “I know,” Claire confessed.
One of Rob’s eyebrows quirked up. “Oh, so you remember now.” It was statement more than question.
“I never forgot.”
He squeezed her hand. “I never forgot either. It’s partly why I came back to Lobster Bay, hoping to find you again.”
Claire didn’t know what to say. She was afraid to breathe and ruin the moment.
“But you know, there is something I regret about that night.”
Claire stiffened. “What is that?”
“That I didn’t do this a second time.” He leaned down and kissed her.
