“Here and there,” I said quickly, reaching for my coffee.
She nodded, mercifully dropping the subject as she turned back to the tray of muffins. But her words lingered. The casual way she’d spoken about Will only stirred my insecurities.
We discussed a few more design options for the bakery. Trying to stay focused and present, I spent an awfully long time talking about lemons and the merits of yellow and navy. By the time I had nothing more to give, and our meeting was winding down, Lisa gathered her purse and keys from the counter. I walked her to the door.
“Your home is lovely. I can already tell you will do an amazing job on the bakery.”
“Thank you,” I said. Even though my mind was searching for excuses to get out of this whole arrangement.
I couldn’t shake her interest in Will. And her questions about him.
What was his deal?And why did I feel like I was further from knowing the answer than ever?
CHAPTER 24
THE SPACE WE KEEP
NATALIE
Icouldn’t shake the weird feeling creeping over me about Will. Maybe we were taking things too slow. Maybe too much space had grown, and he was tired of waiting for me to figure out what I wanted.
I tried focusing on work, wrapping up the last-minute details for the bakery, the boutique, and the restaurant. Lori had sent over information about another café moving in, asking Will and me to review the plans with the new tenants next week. As if I wasn’t overwhelmed enough, Lucas’s restaurant grand opening was set for a week after Thanksgiving. I’d need to arrange for our sitter to watch the kids that evening since it would be my week with them.
Between the deadlines and my swirling thoughts about Will, especially the possibility of him forming a connection with Lisa—I felt like I was sinking. Time got away from me, and when I checked the clock, I realized I had to rush to school pickup.
Driving there, my frustration bubbled up. It was like this unspoken stand-off, and now, Lisa’s comments about him were adding fuel to the fire. I must be on the verge of getting my period. That, or I was just a walking disaster. A brownie suddenly felt like it might fix at least one of those problems.
When I pulled into the school parking lot, Will was already there, leaning casually against his car and typing something into his phone. He looked annoyingly perfect in a fitted black Vuori shirt and light gray denim. How could someone look that good just standing around?
Determined not to acknowledge him, I headed straight for the gate. Of course, he noticed me.
“Hey, Natalie! Wait up!” His voice trailed behind me.
I kept walking. Childish? Absolutely. But I was in no mood to talk to him.
He caught up anyway. “Whoa, what’s going on? Are you okay?”
I stopped and turned to face him. “I don’t know,” I said sharply. “I had an interesting meeting with Lisa.”
“Oh. Is everything still on target with the design plans?” He seemed genuinely puzzled.
“Yes, Will. She loves the design. Almost as much as she seems to like you.”
“What?” His brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”
“She mentioned your conversation,” I snapped. “How you seem interesting and how something about you makes her curious.”
“I have only talked business with her,” he said, clearly taken aback. “Are you pissed at me?”
“I’ve barely heard from you all week, and then she shows up at my house with a mountain of pastries and a story about how you caught her attention.”
“I was just giving you space. I thought you were busy with the kids and work.”
“I am busy,” I shot back.
I spotted Camille standing at the gate, chatting with Lauren. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to talk to my friends.”
Without waiting for a response, I walked away, leaving him standing there.
