“Awe, that’s sweet. You were close?”
“We were. He passed away eight years ago.”
“Oh, I am so sorry.”
“What about you?” he asks, turning his body to face me. “Did you always want to open a bakery?”
I take a moment of silence before answering. Giving him another tiny piece of me, I say, “Yes and no. My mom was a baker. She had her own bakery, and the goal was to always work alongside her until she passed it down to me. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved to bake. I’d go to work with her, and she’d always let me experiment. So yes, I always wanted to be a baker, but I never planned on opening my own bakery,” I say, sadness coating my voice.
“You said was a baker?” West picks up on. “Can I ask what happened?”
Our cart comes to a stop at the bottom, the worker unlatching our bar for us to get off, and I’m thankful for the moment to gather myself and save me from answering. West grabs my hand, giving me a squeeze, and I know he can tell the conversation has upset me. He doesn’t pressure me to answer,and as we continue walking, he rubs circles over my thumbs with his, giving me comfort without needing to say anything.
“She passed away when I was a teenager,” I finally say.
He halts his steps and looks at me. I know he remembers my story about my brother, and I can see so many questions on his face, but already giving him too much, I change the subject.
“Do you want to get cotton candy?” I ask. “It smells so good.” I begin to pull him towards the stand, and he lets me, our conversation forgotten.
After we get our cotton candy, we head over to a bench and take a seat. The sun has set, and the carnival lights light up the night, casting us in a colourful glow. Despite the bench being big enough for four, West and I sit thigh to thigh. He places one hand on my upper thigh, and I imagine his hands snaking higher and higher until they meet my centre.
“Bite for bite?” West asks, tearing my attention away from his hand.
I blush and hold out my pink cotton candy in turn for his blue. We switch, and as the warm sugar hits my tongue, I let out a moan. I definitely should have chosen blue. It’s a lot sweeter than the pink; the flavour of blue raspberry is stronger. I go to take another bite, but the floss gets stuck on my chin. Laughing, I try to lick it away, and I catch the heated look in West’s eyes as he watches my tongue swipe out.
“Here. Let me,” he says, voice raspy, bringing his thumb to my chin and swiping away the remaining sugar. My lips part, and the soft pad of his thumb runs along my bottom lip, making my chest rise and fall. Our eyes lock, and West begins to lean forward. Swallowing the nerves, I lean in to meet him when a voice clears. Jumping back, I look up to see Wren looking guilty.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
“Everything okay?” West asks his sister.
“Yes, sorry. I just wanted to let Jade know we’ve sold out of everything, so we’re going to clean up, and I wasn’t sure what you wanted us to do with the book and other stuff you bought,” she says, turning to me with apology in her eyes.
“Oh.” I clear the heat from my throat. “I’ll come get it. Thanks for letting me know.”
Standing up, we follow Wren back to the booth where I grab my belongings and thank the girls for their hard work and say my goodbyes.
The tension in the truck on the way home is thick, and I keep thinking about the almost kiss and how sexy it was with his thumb on my lip. When we pull into the driveway, West walks me to my door, and I can feel a shift in the air. There’s heat in his eyes, and my pulse is racing. With a step forward, West grabs my waist with one hand and brushes his other along the side of my face. He swallows, and my eyes track the movement. He tugs me closer, and I think he’s finally going to kiss me as our mouths come closer and closer. Inches apart, I rise up onto my toes, our breaths mixing together, when the ring of his phone goes off, making us jump apart. Groaning, he pulls out his phone, silencing it, but I’ve already got my hand on the doorknob. The moment is lost, and from behind the door, Pumpkin meows.
“I had a really great time tonight,” I say, looking up at him.
Stepping closer, he places a soft kiss on the side of my head.
“I had a really great time too,” he rasps out before stepping back.
Unlocking the door, I begin to push inside with my eyes still on him. “Well, goodnight, West.”
“Goodnight, Jade.”
Closing the door softly behind me, I do a little dance and pick up Pumpkin, snuggling into her soft fur. “Oh, Pumpkin, I really, really like him.”
Ileave Jade’s on a high. I had a great fucking time tonight. Spending time together and getting to know her has been such a gift. I understand now why she’s always been so shy and quiet. Losing her mom and brother must have really impacted her. I can’t even imagine.
Fuck, I wanted to kiss her tonight. Fucking Wren and my goddamn phone. Groaning, I pull my phone from my pocket at the reminder I have a missed call. Ian’s name flashes just as I pull it out, and I hit answer, connecting it to the Bluetooth in my truck.
“What’s up?”
“Sheriff. You need to come to the station.”
