Maybe moving back to Paris wasn’t the greatest idea.
Maybe she could find a place to belong in Deep Haven after all.
* * *
Sammy inhaled the sweet,earthy smell of the bakery. These baking days with Robin were starting to feel more like dates than work.
You think you’re my own personal hero?Yeah, he hoped he could be that for her. And more. Too bad she was leaving. Maybe he needed to think harder about smoke jumping with Tucker. Staying in Deep Haven without Robin seemed like a bad idea. It would feel less like home without her.
If he left, though, he’d give up his dream of building that house on his property and starting a family in the town that he loved. Not to mention letting down the kids who depended on him at the youth center.
The bell on the front door jangled.
“I’ll be right back,” Robin said. She tugged at the hem of her shirt. Patted her cheeks a few times, pasted on a smile, and pushed through the swinging door. “Hello, Colleen,” he heard her call.
The oven chimed.Timer Endedscrolled across the LED display. Sammy walked over and opened the oven door. Six loaves nestled inside, their tops browned. He slid them out and onto a waiting cooling rack. Each one was smooth and even. Perfect.
Robin made things beautiful.
He finished the brioche dough and set it aside for Robin’s approval. He heard her laughter ring out in the next room. Probably he should check out the sink area, make sure everything was still looking good.
After inspecting the tile, Sammy checked his watch. Oops, he was due to make a delivery for Ella Vassos in five minutes. She needed him to run some of her soaps to Lena’s veterinarian clinic. Ella had developed a line that was safe to use for pets, and Lena had promised her some shelf space.
Grabbing his jacket from the counter, he walked out to the dining area. Colleen was on the other side of the counter. She stopped whatever she was saying and looked pointedly at him, then cocked an eyebrow at Robin, who was ringing up her order at the register. Robin appeared to be trying hard to ignore the hints Colleen was sending.
“Sammy Johnson. So good to see you here. With Robin,” Colleen said, innocent eyes wide.
Sammy knew he was smiling like an idiot, but those words lit something inside him he hadn’t known had gone out. He was with Robin. He wanted to gather those words and tattoo them on his chest.
“I was helping Robin with something in the kitchen.”
A knowing smile crossed Colleen lips. “I just bet you were.” And then she winked.
Across the bakery display, Robin blushed a bright pink.
What exactly was going on here?
“Sammy, I told Colleen that you have been helping out.”
“Oh, so you’ve been talking about me?” He sure loved to tease Robin. Her face grew even more red.
“Well, I showed her the kitchen earlier.” Robin handed Colleen her bag of bread, not meeting Sammy’s eye.
Colleen tucked the bag in the crook of her arm and walked toward the door. In a singsong voice, she called over her shoulder, “Enjoy your kitchen work, you two.”
Sammy turned to Robin. “What was that?”
“Um…” The contents of the display case must have been super interesting, because Robin kept fiddling with them as she spoke. “I might have kind of told Colleen that I was attracted to you.”
Had he really been in the kitchen that long? “Just now?”
“Wellll…” She still wouldn’t meet his eyes. “It was last week when she came by.”
He couldn’t help the belly laugh that sentence created in him. “I’m glad to know the feeling wasn’t one-sided all this time.” He crossed his arms and leaned against the glass case. “Listen, I don’t have long to stay, but I have to know. After the dance you said you don’t want a relationship, that you are leaving. Have you changed your mind?”
She pushed an errant hair off her face. He loved that she still looked a little mussed, off-balance. “It was something Colleen said, actually. I couldn’t shake her words. She told me that life is always messy, and that there is never a perfect time to fall in love.”
God bless Colleen Decker. “Is that what’s happening here? Are we falling in love?” He grasped her chin and tipped her face up to his.
