“Let’s go see our women,” Dustin says easily to Patrick.
Greyson and I share a look.
I lean my head into the office. “Want anything from Baker From Another Mother?” I ask Captain.
“No, thank you. Lynsey made me lunch.”
Men and their wives and girlfriends. Seems to be a theme today.
We take the engine over to the bakery and park across thestreet. Dustin is practically buzzing with excitement to see Emberleigh. Even after all this time dating, being engaged, and soon to be married, she has this effect on him.
We’ve barely parked when Dustin jumps out of the truck and heads across the street at a light jog. The three of us walk at a normal pace behind him. Daisy’s waiting for Patrick and her face lights up with a soft smile when she sees him.
I glance at the woman next to Daisy and do a double take. Carli. She’s showered, not a strand of hay in her hair, and dressed for her job.
She smiles shyly at me, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Hey, Carli!” Dustin says. Then he lets out a low whistle. “You clean up nice, farm girl.”
She blushes. “Thanks.”
“I was already planning on lunch with Carli,” Daisy tells Patrick. “Is it okay if she joins us?”
“We can all eat together,” Patrick suggests. “We’ll just pull some tables together in the back of the bakery.”
Daisy smiles at Patrick as if he just solved world hunger.
I silently mouth the word, “Hi,” to Carli.
She smiles and mouths, “Hi,” back.
That’s good. She’s smiling.
Lunch passes with us seated opposite one another. Our feet and knees bump due to the size of these bistro tables. And we apologize to one another whenever it happens. She blushes every time.
When everyone’s deep in conversations, I tap her foot with mine. She glances to her left, then right. I wait, forcing myself not to stare at her directly. When she looks in my direction, she meets my gaze with wide eyes.
We stare at one another. My skin prickles. “We should talk,” I whisper at a practically inaudible level.
Her eyes dart around slowly, double checking that no one’s watching us. Then she nods.
“I’ll text you,” I tell her, quietly.
She nods again. And then she smiles and averts her eyes, that same blush rising up her cheeks.
We make it through lunch, joining in on conversations around us, our eyes landing on one another when no one’s looking. Greyson’s silent, but seems content to sit quietly through most of the meal. Dustin’s at the end of the table, his arm loosely draped around the back of Emberleigh’s chair. Sydney’s on the other side of Emberleigh, watching them and smiling. Patrick’s next to me, his hand on Daisy’s knee. The table stretches between Carli and me.
Emberleigh gets up and comes back with two plates of cookies which she sets on the table.
“We’d better get back to the station,” Patrick tells her.
“Take some cookies to go, then,” she insists.
“I wasn’t leaving here without cookies and a kiss,” Dustin announces.
“Dustin!” Emberleigh says as if she’s embarrassed, but her smile says otherwise.
She loads up a pink box of the cookies and Grey and I carry it to the engine while Patrick and Dustin say goodbye to their girlfriends.
