Badly.
And it’s starting to get a little unbearable. I don’t know what I should do.
I can feel myself ready to snap.
What’s he going to do when that happens? He hasn’t doneanything since that morning. Maybe he doesn't want to and that’s why he hasn’t tried again.
My phone vibrates next to the register just as a few kids run in.
I glance at it quickly, not recognizing the number that texted me.
Unknown
Hi.
More kids come in with their parents, so I set the phone down.
I take one step and it goes off again.
Unknown
Let’s talk.
“Hi, Brooke,” Betty Banks greets me as her grandson, best-selling author Tobias Banks, steps up beside her, his young child on his hip and his wife at his side with another. “I want to buy one of these kits really quick. You never know how long these little babies will last out in public, but at home, I can bake while they run crazy. I prefer it that way.”
“That sounds wonderful,” I say and ring her up with two kits.
The next hour goes by similarly, and before I know it, I’m down to my last five kits.
I have to tell Dutton. He’s going to be so thrilled for me.
The idea of that alone excites me.
He’s so supportive of this place, and I know my friends are, too, but it’s different with him. I don't know how to explain it.
“Hey, Daisy,” I call out into the back room. “I’m going to step out for a moment.”
Look at me, willingly taking a break, too.
“Okay,” she says and appears. “Take your time. I’ve got this.”
“Thank you.”
I wipe my hands on a nearby towel and step out onto Main Street. Sadie is the first person I see.
“Hey, have you seen Dutton?” I ask her.
She shakes her head. “I have not, but I’ve been in the store most of the afternoon. Head into Hudson’s and ask him.”
I give her a quick hug and then scan the seating area outside the bar that stretches into the street. I swear, we block this road off more than we allow cars to drive on it.
When I come up short in spotting Dutton, I swing open the door to the bar. I could have walked through from the bookstore, but I figure the chances of me seeing him outside are better than inside.
As soon as I step into the bar, Grace, Ruby, and Quinn are in front of me.
“Hey.” Grace beams. “We were just coming to see you at the bakery.”
She’s got a draft glass in her hand, and by the looks of it, she’s drunk half of it already.
