“Now you’re just being modest. I don’t think anyone around here could bake anything as delicious as she does.”
“You know, she was thinking about expanding the bakery.”
Josie’s eyes lit up in excitement. “I would be in every day!”
“You would not,” he laughed. “You don’t eat sugar.”
“Hey, everyone has a sweet tooth.”
“I’ll let her know you’re all for it.”
I shook my head in amazement as this woman somehow managed to turn the scowl on the man’s face into a grin. How the hell had she done that?
“Well, if you’ll excuse me, I have some paperwork to catch up on.” He tipped his hat at her, then turned to me with a slightly less happy face. “Scrape your damn windows.”
I nodded as he got into his car and drove off without another word. I still wasn’t quite sure what happened. I had never witnessed anything like it.
“It pays to know everything in a small town,” Josie said as she walked up beside me. “Remi’s a good guy, but he’s not really a morning person either. But one word about his momma’s baking, and he’s all smiles.”
She turned to me, an expectant look on her face.
“What?”
“A simple thank you would not be amiss.”
“Thanks,” I muttered, turning to my truck.
“You’re welcome, Tennessee!” she called out as I got in.
I was about to leave when she knocked on my window. I couldn’t exactly leave when she’d just gotten me out of trouble.
“Yeah?” I asked, rolling down my window.
She handed over her scraper. “I have a spare. You might want to keep that with you.”
I took it from her, watching as she bounced away without a care in the world. The woman was strange, as was her scraper. It was covered in designs.
Hearts, to be precise.
There was no fucking way I was using that thing.
Tossing it in the back, I was just about to leave when I saw her rubbing her hand over her vehicle and talking to it again.
“Fucking weird.”
I hopedArcher would already be at The Beaver and Boot when I arrived, but the lot was empty, aside from one vehicle, and I was pretty damn sure it wasn’t his.
I checked the door, thinking maybe they were closed, but the door opened easily. The chairs were all upside down on the tables, and there wasn’t a soul in sight. I was about to leave, but thought better of it. I needed to talk to Lizzy anyway about staying at her rental.
She came flying out of the back with a carton of clean glasses, her state completely frazzled as opposed to the put-together woman I met the other day. With red cheeks, her hair pulled up haphazardly, and dried tears on her cheeks, it was clear something was wrong.
Normally, I wouldn’t get involved, but I was staying at her rental for free. “Everything okay?”
Jolting with a scream, the carton crashed to the ground, and the sound of breaking glass echoed through the deserted bar. Sniffling, she bent down, gathering the bits of broken glass and shoving them in the carton.
“Sorry about that. You surprised me.”
“Clearly,” I answered, shuffling around to the back of the bar to help her clean up the mess.
