Chapter One
Isteppedout of my car but didn’t even have time to stretch the kinks out of my neck before the front door of my sister’s bakery,Sassy, Sweet & Southern,flung open faster than Sadie’s arms did to hug me. “Zoey, you’re home! Tell me you’re staying for the entire break. I’ve missed you.” She stepped back and did a onceover of me. “Love the blonde hair. You’restunning!”
“It’s good to be home.” I pulled her back for another hug, squeezing her tight, not wanting to release her yet. “Avery? Is she still going to make it home,too?”
“Yes, she’ll be here soon.” Sadie unwrapped her arms and turned to her husband Ashton. “I’m afraid that Dylan called Ashton and told him he couldn’t get leave and didn’t want Avery left alone for theholidays.”
“Strong, dark, and rich Ashton Dumont to the rescue, I assume?” I smiled at the tall man who worshipped Sadie. Who couldn’t adore a man who loved my sister so much that he’d stuck around to help raise her two little sisters when our parents went MIA. And if that wasn’t enough, he also took on his entire rich family to marry her. And taking on the Dumont's was no small task. He was a unique kind of man. Nothing like my strong, dark, and emotionally unavailable Edward TalbotIII.
Ashton slid in for a brotherly hug. “I thought you were bringing your boyfriend so we could finally meethim.”
“Yes, we’re all excited to meet the mysterious man of culture, art, and intelligence.” Sadie hip-bumped me. “I always knew you’d end up with aprofessor.”
I tried to hide my disappointment in Edward’s inability to make the trip down here with me. “He’s up for a big promotion, so he had to stay behind towork.”
“Certainly he can sneak away at Christmas. I mean, it’s only an hour or so drive down here,” Sadie said in her sassy big sistertone.
I smiled and nodded. “Don’t worry, he’ll be here. He promised. It’ll just be closer to Christmas.” Before anyone could see my doubt that I didn’t even want to recognize myself, I snagged my bag out of my trunk and executed a subject change. “On the way into town, I saw that someone was renovating the old plantation mansion outside of town. Do you remember when we used to walk the grounds and pretend we were Southernbelles?”
Sadie’s eyes went wide and bright. “Avery used to tie her jacket over her head and play ScarletO’Hara.”
Ashton opened the door for us. “I could see Avery doing that. What about you, Zoey? Did you act likeScarlett?”
Sadie laughed. “No, she was too busy trying to fix the old house. She got it in her head that we could live theresomeday.”
I stepped inside the bakery, and the aroma of cinnamon, sugar, and home filled my lungs and wrapped me in comfort. “A girl can dream,right?”
Sadie smiled. “You should have all your dreams cometrue.”
Brushing off the sense of unfulfilled wishes in my life, I eyed the scones in the case and smacked my lips. “Got any of that fancy clottedcream?”
Sadie raced to the kitchen and back, appearing with a plate that she sat in front of me. All my favorites situated in an elegant French-esque kind of way. “That culinary school paid off, I see. Talk about presentation.” Puff pastries, blueberry scones, fresh fruit with mint, and a dark-chocolate mousse with raspberries and homemade cream. “I can’t eat allthis.”
“It was meant for two,” Ashton blurted before he turned to study a not-so-interesting speck on Sadie’s apron. “Imean…”
“You don’t have to eat it all. Maybe Avery’ll want some,” Sadie slid in with a quick interception of brother-in-lawfail.
I ignored the statement hanging in the air about my missing boyfriend and dug into the most delicious bite full of rich chocolate with a smash of raspberry puree. Sweet and sinful. That was all I could think to describe the decadent flavor. “Mmmmm.”
A car door slammed shut, and I eyed the wall clock. It wasn’t time for the lunchrush.
Sadie went to the door and squealed. “Avery’s here already!” She rushed out the door, and I could hear the sisterly show of shouts and squeals. I’d normally join them, but I wasn’t feelingit.
I was excited to see Avery but not ready for all the questions about my love life. Why is it that once someone married, they thought everyone else should be married, too? I stuffed another fuel-inducing, massive bite of chocolate into my mouth before I stood to face my sisters. I turned to find Kevin Slayder standing in my personalspace.
At that moment, it felt like Sadie’s oven was heating the roomquick.
“Hey there. Hope you don’t mind. Sadie said you had some treats to share.” His gaze traveled from my hair, stalling for a second, and then down to my mouth, engorged with chocolate that I was sure had smeared all over my lips. “That is, if there’s any left.” He retrieved the napkin from the table and lifted it to my face. I couldn’t breathe, not with a mouth full of chocolate and not with the Oh-My-God-he-is-so-close thought stealing my breath. His hand stopped an inch from my mouth before he lowered his arm and handed me the napkin. He smiled, his high school football winning smile that had made every girl at Magnolia Corners’ high schoolfaint.
Well, except me. I never fainted. Nope, not me. My reaction was worse. An epic trip over my own feet down the front steps with knee scuff, skirt up, in front of the entire student body kind of reaction. The fantasy kind of crush, not the real-life romance like I had now with Edward. A strong, stable kind of man who had a bright future. A man nothing like myhigh school football star, knock up my mom and runfather. Three times. I always thought she should’ve figured it out. Man came home, she got pregnant, he ranaway.
“You okay? Sadie’s sweets shoot you into a sugar coma or something?” Kevin placed a hand on my upper arm, and I thought the chocolate melted instantly. I swallowed hard—too hard. A loud gulp echoed in the emptybakery.
I pressed the napkin to the edge of my lips, blotting each side like a proper lady. “Nope, plenty left. Sorry. You startled me.” There, that was a good enough reason to fall through the dark hole of childhood crushes and publichumiliation.
“Thanks.” He sat in the chair across from mine and dug into the puff pastry. “How've you been? You look amazing.” He cleared his throat and shifted in his chair. “The blonde hair suits you. I mean, it’s been awhile, so I didn’t know you had changed it. Haven’t seen you since your Mario Andretti escape out of Magnolia Corners.” He leaned in, resting an elbow on a knee. “You were amazing. I have to admit I was a littleshocked.”
“Shocked?” I cleared my throat and held my head high but lowered to my chair. “You think girls can’t drive orsomething?”
