Sprinkled with Love

by Faye, Jennifer

  Avery inwardly groaned. It’d been a long day and he just wasn’t up for more. “I should let you go—”

  “I could speak to Jillian for you. You know, put in a good word—”

  “No.” When he didn’t hear a response, he said, “Beth, don’t you dare interfere. You do realize that I’m an adult, right?”

  “But I also know you’re not so good with the women—”

  “Hey! We aren’t talking about my dating life. I only asked Jillian to teach me to bake. That is all. And don’t you dare go and get any ideas. I have too much going on in my life. I don’t want a girlfriend.”

  “You always have an excuse not to get serious with anyone. Before it was because you had Jordan and me to raise. But now we’re out on our own. You don’t have any more excuses.”

  “Beth…”

  “If you don’t ask Jillian again, I will.” There was a slight pause. “Or better yet, I’ll drive home and teach you myself.”

  “No. You have school.”

  “I can make arrangements.”

  “No.” When she didn’t say anything, he worried that she’d totally ignored him and was already hatching some plan that would involve her missing classes. There was only one way to stop her and she probably knew it. Still, the responsible part of him forced him to sacrifice his pride for his sister’s welfare. “You don’t need to come home. I will speak to Jillian again.”

  “Good.” There was a muffled sound and then the murmur of voices. “Hey, Avery, I’ve got to go.”

  After they disconnected the call, he shook his head. His little sister knew exactly how to manipulate him and he fell for it every time. Still, the thought of speaking to Jillian again wasn’t as bad as he was making it out to be. He enjoyed her company and he found her absence around the house was quite noticeable.

  Chapter Seven

  Two days.

  That’s how long Jillian had been holding out without giving Avery an answer. She figured that since the competition didn’t start for another couple of weeks, she had a little time before she had to give him a firm answer.

  And she’d been busy. She’d found out through Carol Bingley that Jane McCullough was helping the Chamber of Commerce organize the fundraiser. After a couple of phone calls, Jillian had learned that there would be a craft sale during the first round of the Bake-Off at the local high school.

  Jillian ran her ideas past Jane and got two thumbs up. Now she just had to keep moving in order to get everything arranged in time for the big event. And the first part was just about complete.

  Jillian scanned the computer monitor to make sure she hadn’t missed anything with the order of rubber wristbands in a wide assortment of colors. Her finger hovered over the place-order button as she inspected the design one last time.

  The design couldn’t be girly or else none of the male population would consider wearing them. So she’d gone with: Harry’s House. To the left of the text was the black silhouette of a house and on the right was the black silhouette of a saw and hammer crossed over one another. The wristbands were neutral and hopefully would catch on with all of the town’s residents. All proceeds would go to the Harry’s House fund.

  She clicked on the order button.

  And now that left the question of helping Avery—

  “Nice place,” called out a familiar male voice.

  Jillian glanced up from where she was sitting behind the counter. Her gaze focused on Glenn. Surely he wouldn’t have the audacity to show his face here. She blinked, but he was still there.

  “I see I caught you off guard.” He smiled, flashing his brilliant white teeth.

  That was the same smile that at one time had made her stomach dip like she was on a tall roller coaster. But no more. She was inoculated against his charms.

  “Hello, Glenn.” She kept her voice even, refusing to let him evoke any further noticeable reaction in her.

  He removed his dark sunglasses and slid them into the pocket of his black leather coat. He liked to dress up like he was some movie star instead of a small-time actor who did local commercials for grocery and hardware stores.

  He sauntered over to the counter and leaned an elbow on it. “I know you missed me.”

  Jillian almost gagged. Was he serious? Not an apology but rather an accusation.

  “What do you want, Glenn?”

  His tone grew softer and more cajoling. “I want to talk to you.”

  Hadn’t he gotten the hint that she didn’t want to talk to him when she never picked up his calls and failed to return his voicemails? Then again, Glenn was always all about Glenn, and he didn’t understand that others might not like him as much as he liked himself. What had she ever seen in him? It totally escaped her now.

  Jillian closed her laptop. “We don’t have anything to discuss.”

  “Yes, we do.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. All right?”

  He thought that was going to make up for dumping her in public? They’d been dining at the time. Luckily, it had been in Bozeman. Yet, the restaurant had been packed and Glenn hadn’t been discreet.

  He’d wanted her to drop everything to go on a promotional shoot with him. He’d told her in no uncertain terms that he was tired of coming in a distant second to her outlandish dreams of being a business owner. At least now he could see Tangled Charms with his own eyes—see that she’d succeeded as a business owner.

  “Is there something I can show you?” she asked, pretending he was nothing more than a customer—a less than welcome customer.

  “What?” It took him a second to figure out what she was up to. “Come on, Jilly. Won’t you give me a chance? I’m here after all. And I know you need a date.”

  “You what?”

  “I ran into your mother. She mentioned something about you being invited to a wedding.”

  “And she asked you to take me?” Please say it wasn’t so. Surely her own mother wouldn’t turn against her. Would she?

  “No. She didn’t ask. But I can take a hint.”

  Take a hint? Or make up an excuse to see her? Jillian really wanted to believe that he took advantage of her mother’s ramblings in order to insinuate himself back into her life.

  At that point, the door chimed. Suzanna returned from her dentist appointment. And right behind her were a couple of ladies who were good friends with Carol Bingley. Which meant everything that was said between her and Glenn would become the subject of town gossip. And that was the very last thing Jillian needed right now. When people spoke of her, she wanted them taking her seriously and talking highly of her business pursuit. She did not want them talking about how she’d been dumped by this movie-star-wannabe.

  “Come on, Jilly. Have some coffee with me? We can discuss this wedding.” Glenn looked at her as though she couldn’t possibly turn down such an offer.

  It was so tempting to tell him exactly what he could do with his offer, but she glanced at the two older ladies who were not even trying to hide the fact they were eavesdropping. Jillian inwardly groaned. Why were so many people interested in her social life?

  It’d be the same way at the wedding. She imagined all of the pitying looks from her married relatives—the same looks she’d received at a prior wedding. Seriously, didn’t they hear that this was a new age where women didn’t have to marry by the age of eighteen? She wasn’t an old maid. She just hadn’t found the right guy and she was starting to think that her Mr. Right didn’t exist.

  And then she realized that instead of fighting Glenn’s advances maybe she should take a different approach. She could go out with him one more time—to the wedding. It might not be the sort of date he was hoping for and it might end abruptly, but he owed her.

  By having Glenn escort her to the wedding, she’d be putting off the inevitable. Somehow that didn’t sound so bad. But could she really spend an entire evening with him in such a romantic setting?

  She turned to Suzanna, who’d just stepped out of the office. “Could you handle the shop for a few minutes?
”

  Suzanna didn’t smile. Her gaze moved from Jillian to Glenn and then back again. Jillian knew Suzanna didn’t like Glenn, but she was too much of a lady to tell him to his face what she really thought of him.

  Jillian, wanting to speak to Glenn in private, glanced back at Suzanna and then nodded over her shoulder at their audience. The light of dawning flashed in Suzanna’s eyes.

  “Sure. I’ve got it.” Suzanna moved to greet their customers.

  Jillian rushed to grab her coat. Luckily, the Java Café was just a couple of doors down. She’d get a to-go cup and be out of there in a couple of minutes. Just long enough for her to address the idea of going to the wedding together.

  *

  Have patience.

  That’s what the doctor had told Avery when he’d gone in for a checkup. The swelling in his knee was decreasing and the bruising was starting to fade to a greenish color. Avery wanted to hear that he’d make a miraculous recovery, but the doctor said it would take time.

  Avery checked his phone for the tenth time that morning. Still no missed calls and no text messages.

  Have patience. The doctor’s words echoed in his mind. It appeared that advice applied to a number of facets of Avery’s life.

  But why hadn’t Jillian called? It wasn’t like her to be forgetful. She was always on top of everything. For a long time, she’d helped keep his life organized.

  But now she had Tangled Charms. And it was the opening week. That was it; she’d gotten distracted. Or she was tired of bailing him out. She had been such a good sport over the years—always there to pick up the pieces.

  Avery eased his pickup through town, not sure what to do. He definitely couldn’t do this Bachelor Bake-Off without her guidance. Would it be so bad if he were to stop by Tangled Charms?

  Deciding a reminder was the best course of action, he turned onto Main Street. He’d stop by and clear this up in no time.

  As he was nearing the Java Café, he spotted Jillian. He slowed down, hoping to gain her attention. And then he noticed she wasn’t alone. There was a man with her—someone Avery didn’t recognize. The man was much taller than Jillian and he was well dressed.

  They were laughing. It was obvious even from this distance that they were quite familiar with each other. Avery’s fingers tightened on the steering wheel. He wondered if this was the reason for Jillian’s distraction.

  And then the man stepped in front of Jillian and without preamble he leaned forward to kiss her.

  Avery’s gut knotted up. He’d seen enough. He turned his gaze away and tramped on the gas a little harder, not wanting to witness any more of Jillian’s life. If that’s what she wanted, who was he to complain?

  But what did he do now?

  Let his sister and the town down by backing out of the event?

  Or give this baking thing a try on his own? After all, how hard could it be?

  *

  Oh no! No! No!

  This can’t be happening.

  Jillian jumped back before Glenn’s lips touched hers. She stared up at him. “What are you doing?”

  A frown wiped away his smile. “As if you didn’t know. I was trying to kiss you.” He arched a brow. “What are you doing? Trying to play hard to get?”

  She wasn’t playing. She had absolutely no interest in him kissing her. Not now. Not ever again. What had she been thinking to even consider him as her escort to the wedding? She would go alone before she would ask him.

  She leveled her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Glenn, I think we need to get something straight. I’m not interested in you. Not now. Not in the future.”

  For a moment, his mouth gaped. And then he pressed his lips together into a firm line. A tense moment passed. “Enough with this game. I know you weren’t happy about how we ended things, but what choice did I have? You were never around. You were always here in Marietta with that hobby of yours.”

  “That hobby you’re referring to is my business. A successful one that has expanded from the internet to a physical store.” She refused to let anyone demean her efforts.

  “And now that you’ve gotten it out of your system, I figured you’d come to your senses. That’s why I’m here—to give you another chance.”

  Was he serious? The sincere look on his face said that he was. The ego on this guy had no bounds.

  “This conversation is over. We are over. Goodbye, Glenn.” She turned and strode down the sidewalk.

  “You’ll regret this,” he called out to her back. “I don’t know what I ever saw in you. You just used me to get exposure for that hobby of yours. I was just a leg up for you. You only care about yourself.”

  He was so wrong about her. She did care about others. Just not him.

  She didn’t slow down. She kept going. All the while, she hoped that not many people heard his parting words. How dare he shout out those lies?

  And then Avery’s face came to mind. She’d never answered him. Was she being selfish about her time? Was that why she was holding back?

  Anxious to prove Glenn wrong and assure herself that she hadn’t changed, she pulled her phone out. She selected Avery’s phone number.

  It rang once before he answered. “Hello.”

  “Hey, Avery, I was wondering if you wanted to get together to go over your game plan for the Bake-Off.” There was a pause as though she’d surprised him with the offer. “Avery? Are you still there?”

  “Yes. But listen, I understand that you don’t have time. It’s okay—”

  “If I didn’t have time, I’d have said so.” It was true. She wasn’t afraid to speak up. The problem was when she was torn in two different directions. And that happened frequently where Avery was concerned. “So what about this evening?”

  There was a pause as though he was considering it. “I have plans.”

  “Oh. Well, we can do it another time.”

  “I don’t think so. Sorry I bothered you. Goodbye.”

  The line went dead. She stared at the phone wondering what had just happened. He was the one who had just asked her a couple of days ago to help him out. And now he was dismissing her without any explanation.

  “Whatever,” she muttered to herself as she pulled open the door to Tangled Charms. She obviously did not understand men at all.

  When she stepped in the shop, she was pleased to find a few people making their way around the various display cases. And these people were not friends of her mother. They were passersby and hopefully future customers. At least this part of her life was looking up.

  Jillian rushed to the office to deposit her coat. She told herself she should be relieved. This way there was no possibility that she’d get sucked back into Avery’s world. Not that she was vulnerable to his charming smile. Once upon a time, she may have had the craziest crush on him, but that was long over. She’d learned how to stand her ground.

  Still, she found it odd that Avery would back out of such a good cause. After all, it was in memory of a friend. And it would benefit the community. And then she realized that she must have waited too long to give him an answer. He’d no doubt found someone else to help him.

  She’d just hung up her coat and turned around to find Suzanna standing in the doorway of the office. Startled, Jillian said, “I didn’t hear you follow me.”

  With a serious expression, Suzanna arched a brow. “So? Did you really sink low enough to accept his too-little-too-late apology?”

  “Wait. You thought I was going to get back together with Glenn?”

  Suzanna shrugged, looking a bit worried. “Please say you’re not taking him back.”

  “I’m not. Definitely not. I was considering asking him to be my escort to the wedding, but I just couldn’t do it.” She shook her head as she headed back to the showroom. “There’s not a chance. I don’t know what I ever saw in him.”

  Suzanna trailed behind her. “What a relief.” Suzanna audibly sighed as she sunk down on a stool behind the jewelry counter. “What are you going to do about
the wedding?”

  Just then Dan walked in the door. He was their handyman, who’d helped turn their dream into reality. He knew a little bit of everything from electrical work to carpentry and plumbing. His father was a handyman and had taught him the tricks of the trade.

  “Hi, ladies.” When Dan smiled, the dimples in his cheeks showed.

  “Hi.” Both Jillian and Suzanna said in unison.

  He brushed his blond hair back off his face. “I have the new light fixture for the office. If you don’t mind, I can put it up now.”

  “No problem,” Suzanna said. “My eyes will be so grateful for the brighter lighting.”

  With his toolbox in one hand and the cardboard box with the new light fixture under the other arm, he made his way back to the office. Jillian moved to the worktable she’d set up behind the jewelry counter so she could work and keep an eye on the store.

  Suzanna rushed over to her. “What about him?”

  “What about who?”

  “Dan. You know.” She waggled her brows like Jillian was supposed to follow her train of thought.

  “Suzanna, whatever it is just say it—”

  “Shh…” Suzanna glanced over her shoulder as though to make sure they weren’t overheard. “What about asking Dan to the wedding?”

  “Seriously?” The thought never even crossed her mind. He was a few years younger than her and they had nothing in common. And it would just be weird since he was their handyman. “I can’t.”

  “Sure you can.”

  “But he sort of works for us.”

  “Not after he puts in that new light. He’ll be all done.” Suzanna gave her a little push. “Go ask him.”

  “Suzanna!”

  “Shh… Just go do it. What do you have to lose? After all, you almost asked Glenn. Dan is quite a few steps up from him. And he’s very easy on the eyes.”

  Was she really that pathetic that she would ask just about anyone to go with her? Yes. It was better than one of her mother’s friends’ sons. Jillian had been down that road more than once and it was difficult. And knowing that her mother would most likely get a report back on the date made it that much more awkward.