Shepherd grunted in agreement. "She's never been one for grand gestures."
"What if we each do something to help her with the bakery?" Asher suggested, his eyes lighting up. "She's been struggling to keep up with orders lately."
Gabe nodded slowly, an idea forming. "That could work. We could offer our services - no strings attached, just to help her out."
"I could handle deliveries," Shepherd offered gruffly. "Save her some time."
"And I could man her festival booth, since it’s right next to mine," Asher added. "Give her a chance to focus on baking."
Gabe considered for a moment. "I could review her finances, see if there's any way to streamline her expenses or boost her revenue. I know she’s been worried about that this first year in business."
The tension in Gabe's shoulders eased slightly as their plan took shape. It wasn't much, but it was a start. A way to show Evie they cared. That they recognized their mistakes and wanted to make amends.
"We should approach her together," Shepherd said, his gruff voice softening slightly. "Show a united front. Make it clear there are no hard feelings between each of us.”
Asher nodded, his enthusiasm returning. "Good idea. When should we do it?"
Gabe glanced at his watch, considering. "Tomorrow morning? Before the bakery opens? That way, we're not interrupting her workday."
The other two men agreed, and they quickly hashed out the details. As they parted ways, Gabe felt a mix of anticipation and nerves churning in his gut. He hoped Evie would give them a chance to explain, to make things right. The thought of her warm smile, the way her eyes crinkled at the corners when she laughed, made his chest swell. He'd do whatever it took to see her smile again… even if it did turn out he had competition for her affections.
Chapter
Twelve
EVIE
Evie wasn’t sure if she was grateful it was her late opening day or not. On the one hand, she was forced to come in and open because Jane had asked for the day off. On the other hand, it meant she had far too much time to think while she prepped for the day ahead.
She was surprised when she heard the rear door open. Frostvale was a small, very safe place, so she never locked it, but the only people who used it were her parents and Posy. Maybe her friend had come to check on her. The thought made her smile. She was lucky to have such wonderful people looking out for her. But as the footsteps drew closer, Evie realized they were too heavy to be Posy's.
Her spine stiffened as three familiar male voices drifted through the kitchen. She gripped the edge of the counter, steadying herself as Shepherd, Gabe, and Asher entered the bakery. Her heart raced and her stomach dipped as she turned to face them, flour-dusted hands clenched at her sides. Sugar! She wasn’t ready for this.
"What are you doing here?" Evie asked, her voice sharper than she intended. She watched their faces fall, guilt and regret etched in their features.
Shepherd stepped forward, his dark eyes meeting hers. "We came to apologize, Evie. We were out of line."
Asher nodded, his usual playful demeanor subdued. "We acted like idiots. You didn't deserve that."
Gabe shuffled his feet, looking unusually boyish. "We're really sorry. We want to make it up to you."
Evie's chest tightened. Their words seemed genuine, but the sting of hurt was still too fresh. She’d been eviscerated by Adrian, even while she hated him for his selfishness and felt a certain relief at not needing to bend to his will constantly anymore. She didn’t want to deal with any new suitors scraping away at her already bruised self-esteem.
Except they weren’t suitors, were they? They’d made that much clear. And what sort of archaic word was suitors anyway? Then again, she was thirty in a little over a week; she was too old for ‘boyfriends’.
And again, that was redundant here. Despite her resolve, she still felt her heart shudder at the rejection. She told herself, for the hundredth time, it shouldn’t matter. She owed them nothing, and certainly not the privilege of her vulnerability. But despite her efforts to dismiss it as the natural awkwardness of small-town proximity and mutual acquaintances, the sting lingered. It was less the rejection itself - after life with Adrian, Evie was no stranger to being sidelined and let down - but the dissonant way it rippled against her stubborn optimism. The way it made her question if there was some essential, invisible flaw only she was blind to. What was wrong with her that no man wanted to give her his time? Sure, she was a little overweight, but that just gave her curves. Weren’t modern men supposed tolike curves? Or was that just a narrative woven to make tubby women feel better about themselves?
Maybe she was too old. The older a man got, the younger they seemed to want their women. Adrian certainly did. Or maybe it was because she was a mother. After all, if her son’s father didn’t want a life with her and Ollie, why would anyone else want to take on another man’s child?
Feeling far too vulnerable, she turned back to her work, focusing on the dough beneath her hands. "I appreciate you coming by, but I'm not sure what you expect me to say."
Okay, that sounded a bit too flippant. Evie shrugged. “It’s okay. I accept your apologies, so you’re off the hook.”
She wanted them gone; her emotions were far too close to the surface.
Why was she so easy to dismiss? And that in itself was a contradiction, when she was actively pushing them out of the door. That’s not what this was about, though. And here she was, second-guessing herself again. She hated it. But the truth was, sometimes she felt so fundamentally misaligned with the universe that it seemed even the men who claimed to care about her couldn’t stick the landing. She pressed her lips together, battling against the part of her that wanted to scream out loud…What’s wrong with me?
She heard them shuffle behind her and thought they were leaving. It left an unexpected lump in her throat. For a while, despite the beating her self-worth had taken from her ex-husband, she thought she was moving forward, but it had just been wishful thinking.
