“That’s… not how I would’ve put that.”
Jude laughed again. He seemed so much happier than he had the last time Blake saw him. Healthier, too, with more color in his cheeks. Married life had obviously been kind to him.
“I was actually thinking about you a while back. Are you in a hurry? I’d love to sit down for a while and catch up.”
“I’ve been sent to the bakery to confirm the delivery details of the cake in person,” Blake said. “If you wanna come with… I have so much to tell you.”
“Bakery!” Kayla enthused.
“We were on our way there.” Jude grinned down at his daughter. “I promised someone a cupcake. I think I could stretch to two cupcakes.”
Blake laughed. “I think I can pick up the tab. I owe Kayla a bunch of birthday presents.”
“She’s only three and a half,” Jude said.
“Almost four,” Kayla insisted.
“Almost four,” Jude corrected himself, smiling fondly down at her.
“I love her already,” Blake said. It would have been hard not to. Now that Kayla was starting to get over the fact that he was a stranger, she was a bright, happy kid.
If Blake could have had a wish for Jude, it would have been for his life to be exactly like this. Things had clearly worked out for him.
“She gets that a lot.” Jude smiled, obviously proud of her. As he should have been.
“Bakery?”
“Bakery!” Kayla repeated. Blake got the impression that she was a big fan of pastries, so they had that in common.
“It’s just down here.” Jude nodded ahead. Blake fell into step beside him, letting him lead the way.
“So are you staying with your parents?” Jude asked as Blake pushed the door open for him. He made a beeline for a table by the window, putting his books down and then grabbing a little wooden high chair from the side of the room.
The guy behind the counter smiled and nodded at him, turning to the coffee machine immediately. Jude was clearly a regular.
“Uh, I’m paying for this, and I’ll have whatever he’s having.”
“Latte, no sugar?” the guy checked. The baker was called Marcus, and there was only one person here, so he was probably Marcus.
“Sounds good,” Blake agreed. “I’m supposed to check on the delivery details for the wedding cake.”
Probably-Marcus chuckled. “Megan getting nervous about the big day?”
“I guess so,” Blake said. “You’re Marcus, right?”
“That’s me,” Marcus nodded, pouring milk into one cup and then starting on the second one. “The cake is finished and in the refrigerator. You can come through and see it if you want.”
“I have no idea what it’s supposed to look like,” Blake said. “And I trust that you know what you’re doing. She just wants to be sure that you know you’re supposed to be delivering it at four, which I’m sure you do.”
“I do,” Marcus said. “But it’s okay to double-check. Weddings are stressful. I can also tell you that Lexi knows he’s delivering the flowers at eight. Save you the trip over.”
“I actually wasn’t sent to deal with the flowers, but thank you.” Blake smiled. He liked Marcus already. He vaguely remembered someone taking over the bakery before he left, but he hadn’t been in the habit of coming in here.
It was nice, though. The smell of bread hung in the air, and the display cabinet was full of pastries in all kinds of pastel and chocolate shades.
“Oh, and I’m supposed to be getting a cupcake for Kayla. I’m guessing you know which kind better than I do.”
Marcus grinned at him. “I got your back. You can sit down and I’ll bring it over.”
