CHAPTER ONE
Paisley
“Thank you. Have a great day.”I handed the customer her bag of pastries and a honey lavender tea, one of the bakery’s specialties.
“You too, dear. And be careful getting home, now. The storm is coming in fast.” She took her items and turned towards the door.
I glanced out the window. The sky had gotten darker over the course of the morning, and it looked like more storm clouds were on the way.
“Looking pretty dark out there, hmm?” Ruby, my boss and owner of the bakery I currently worked at, Appleridge Sweets, appeared beside me. “Good thing we have a generator. Thanks to my wonderful husband.”
I smiled warmly at her. I loved my boss and my job here. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming. I made the drinks and served the customers as a backup when we were busy. But a big part of me wanted to try my hand at baking. I’ve always liked it.
Ah, well. It didn’t matter.
I couldn’t ask Ruby if I could bake here. It was her bakery, her and her grandmother’s recipes, and she did all the baking, besides the cakes. Stella, the cake decorator, handled all the cakes and decorating, along with the custom and specialty orders. She was a peach, just like Ruby, and the other two ladies who worked the counter. A shy, quiet girl named Tia and an older, sweet woman named Barb. I couldn’t have asked for a better job.
At first, I wasn’t sure I’d like it here, having grown up in the city. But time and again, the small town proved me wrong. Although my apartment wasn’t the best, mostly because of the size, I got up every day smiling.
“You do have a wonderful husband. You are one lucky girl, Ruby.” I smiled at my boss and wondered how she handled it all. A husband, two kids,andher bakery. It was like the woman never stopped.
“Ah, finally a lull.” Barb said as she strolled up beside us, wiping her hands on a dish towel. “Busy morning. Everyone’s grabbing their sweets before they hunker down.”
“Is the storm going to be that bad?” I chewed on the side of my fingernail. My car had seen better days. I doubted it would handle the mud well. The last thing I needed was to get stuck.
“A lot of rain, which causes a lot of mud. Especially this time of year, as spring blooms and all the snow melts.” Ruby explained.
“Crap. My car sucks.”
“Don’t worry, sweetie.” Ruby patted me on the back. “When we close up, if it’s bad outside, Austin and I will give you a ride home, okay?”
“Thank you.” I released the air from my lungs.Phew.“That would be great.”
“Barry and I can, too. Just say the word, toots.” Barb said before she walked off, wiping the counter and smiling at the customer who walked in.
“One day, you’ll have a man who will come pick you up, rain or shine. And you’ll be madly in love.” Ruby smiled wistfully.
I chuckled.Unlikely.“Probably not. I’m not into dating for the time being. Focusing on myself right now.”
Ruby shot me a look before she burst out laughing. “Oh, sweet girl, that is what I thought, too. Just you wait.”
“What do you mean? Wait for what?” My curiosity got the better of me.
“You haven’t heard about it yet, have you?” Ruby smiled, her eyes lighting up. “Of course not. You’re new in town. I’m talking about the Appleridge lovebug.”
“A love bug? You can’t be serious.” I snickered and studied her quizzically.
“Yes. It’s true. It sounds crazy, but it’s not. Stella knows about it too.” Ruby tilted her head to the side and motioned with her eyes to Stella entering through the back door. I glanced behind me and Stella walked slowly towards us, a large cake in her hands.
“Stella knows about what?” She asked as she placed the cake on the counter. It was gorgeous, with an array of wildflowers made of frosting and the words Happy Birthday Mom written below them. Stella made beautiful cakes.
“The Appleridge lovebug.” Ruby replied.
“Yep. Happens to all of us. Hard to believe at first but trust me. It biteshard.” Stella said. “Julian became impossible to resist.”
Ruby grinned at me. “There’s plenty of handsome mountain men lingering around. When you see him for the first time, you’ll know.”
I eyed them skeptically and raised my eyebrows.
