“I have to be.I get up at three to do the first batch of dough.It’s a baker’s life.”Luna shrugged before focusing on me again.“Do you have a request for your donut selection?”
“Variety.I can’t speak for my brothers, or my mom, or Tommy, or Chloe, or Elsa?—”
“Or Kendall,” Janet chimed in, her brows arching high.
“Or Kendall,” I added.“What do you know?”I narrowed my eyes.
Luna pressed her lips together to keep from laughing as she walked past Janet and pushed through the swinging half-door into the back.
Janet tipped her head to the side as she considered me.“I know that Maggie told me you two are finally being open about the fact that you’re together.Thatmakes me so happy.”She pressed her palm to her chest.“You really have no idea.”
I let out a wondering laugh.“Honestly, I had no idea how many people were invested in the status of our friendship.”
“Well, we love you both, so we wanted you to face your feelings.”Janet’s eyes were warm.
My heart squeezed tight, and I took a quick breath.“I just hope I get it right.”
“Jude Silver,” Janet said, her gaze sobering quickly, “you will absolutely get it right.You’re a good man, and you love Kendall.You have the best foundation for a relationship that you could ask for.”
“We do?”I was honestly nervous, now that it was really happening.
“Of course you do.You’re best friends.That’s how Dan and I ended up together,” she said, referring to her husband, who had passed away many years ago.
“Yeah?I’ve never heard your origin story with Dan.”
Janet’s smile was soft and wistful.“We went to high school together, and he was my friend.I had a crush on him, and apparently, he had a crush on me.I never even knew about it then.Fortunately for us, we figured it out, we got married, and we opened this café.”She held both hands out wide.“I hope Willow Brook is the better for this place.”
“I can’t imagine Willow Brook without Firehouse Café.Do you miss him?”
“Every day,” Janet said softly.“Cherish Kendall.You never do know what’s going to happen.I don’t mean to give you something to worry about, but that’s one thing I learned from losing Dan.I don’t have any regrets.We had a lot of fun together while he was here.”
I held her gaze for a long moment and took a slow breath.“Thank you for telling me that.”
“Telling you what?”
“How you and Dan got together.I didn’t know you were friends in high school.”
“Of course we were.”She shook her head, bemusement flickering in her gaze.“He was such a flirt.”She studied me for a few beats.“You’re not really a flirt.”
I chuckled.“No, I’m not.”
Luna reappeared with two boxes of donuts and slid them across the counter.Janet got me my preferred house coffee, and I grabbed another for Kendall.I figured she might want one.With the boxes of donuts on the passenger seat in the truck, I began the drive out to Heartfire Falls.
A few minutes into my drive, my dashboard lit up with Lincoln’s name, and I tapped to answer.
“Hey, man, how’s it going?”
“Hey, hey,” Lincoln said, sounding more cheerful than usual.
“You’re sounding downright chipper,” I teased.
I could hear the smile in his voice when he replied.“Feeling okay today.”
“So, what’s up?Mom is really excited about you coming home.”
“I know she is,” he said.“So here’s the deal, I’ll be there in two weeks.”
“Seriously?”
