“Hi, yourself.” I smile at her. “How’s your day going?”
“Good. I was a little tired when I first got here. Someone wore me out last night,” she says, thankfully low enough that only I could hear her.
“Lucky bastard.” I smirk.
“What can I get you this morning?” she asks as the bells above the door chime. I look over my shoulder to see a group of people leaving, just as another enters, one of them being my grandmother.
“I’ll take one of those cinnamon rolls and the largest coffee that you have.”
“Would you like it warmed up?” she offers.
“That’d be great,” I tell her, handing her some cash.
“Nathan, this is way more than the cost of a cinnamon roll and coffee.”
“I’d like to pay for anything they order, as well,” I tell her, nodding to my grandmother’s group of friends.
“Gotcha.” Harper winks at me and turns to warm my cinnamon roll up.
“Morning, G-Ma,” I greet her once she approaches.
“Fancy meeting you here this morning.” She smirks up at me as I lower down to kiss her cheek.
“Ladies.” I greet her posse of friends. Nothing but a bunch of gossiping grandmothers is what they are. “Your baked goods and coffee have been paid for already,” I tell the group of women.
“Such a fine young man you are, Nathan.” One of them steps up and says, “I have a granddaughter your age that would be just perfect for you. What do you say, I can set up a dinner date for the two of you tonight?” My eyes flick to Harper, who is back at the counter and overhearing everything that is being said.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’m already seeing someone.”
“Well, that’s a shame. I hope she’s good enough for you,” she says, and I can see the way Harper flinches.
“She’s perfect. The most beautiful woman I’ve ever laid eyes on,” I tell the woman, but never take my eyes from Harper. “The kindest, most selfless person I’ve had the pleasure of meeting.”
“Why haven’t you told me about this woman?” my grandmother asks, smacking my shoulder with her pocketbook.
“Because” I drawl, breaking my eye contact with Harper to look at my grandmother, “I just found her again.” I smirk, letting what I just said set in. My grandmother is a smart woman and catches on very quickly. She looks from me to Harper, who is now sporting a smile so big that no one will miss it, back to me.
“You’ve done good.” She pats my cheek. “Harper, dear, I’ll expect you at Sunday dinner this weekend. We’ve got plans to make.”
“Plans?” Harper questions, obviously not on the same page as my grandmother is.
“I got him back here, now it’s up to you to keep him. I need some great-grandbabies before I die,” she states mater-of-factly before accepting the plate from Lacey, with her coffee cake and cup of coffee, and walking off to an open table.
“What just happened?” Harper asks me once the group of women have all been served and taken a seat.
“That is my grandmother for you. But don’t worry, babe, she won’t let you forget about Sunday.” To hell with the counter, I walk around it, snake my arm around Harper’s waist and pull her in close. She smells like a mixture of vanilla and cinnamon. I crash my lips to hers; customers be damned.
“Get a room,” Lacey chuckles from next to us, effectively breaking us out of our moment.
“Not necessary,” I tell her as I back away from Harper. I walk around the counter, gathering my cinnamon roll and coffee, and find a small table I can claim as my own to enjoy my breakfast.
Just as I’m finishing the cinnamon-filled goodness, my cell rings with a local number. I answer it, finding the mechanic on the other line. He relays the issues he found and assures me he can get them fixed today, so I give him the approval to do so.
“Hey,” Harper says, pulling me from my phone. I’d gotten sucked into some emails and didn’t notice her approaching.
“Hi,” I say, pushing out the chair across from me for her to take a seat. She’s looking a little tired, now that her morning rush has calmed down. I look around the room, and notice that most everyone has cleared out. “Is it always this busy in the mornings?”
“Yep, this is a pretty typical morning. The larger groups tend to rotate who’s here on what day, but if there’s anything I can count on from the older population of Sweet Valley, it is them coming in for their weekly coffee and breakfast gab sessions. And don’t let the stereotypes fool you, the men are just as bad as the women when it comes to the gossiping.”
“I’ll take your word for it. What time will you be done here?” I ask.
“We close at three, but I’ve got a few custom orders to work on for tomorrow, so it might be later than that before I get out of here. Just depends on how quickly I can get things done and prepped for tomorrow.”
“Can I bring over dinner, one less thing for you to worry about tonight?” I offer, hoping that I’ll also end up back in her bed with her in my arms.
“You don’t need to spend the time with your family?” she asks, and I love that she’s more worried about my time with them than making sure I get time with her.
“I’m sure, and I should have the truck back before then. It’s at the shop now and should be fixed before the end of the day,” I tell her.
“Oh, that’s good. And I’d love dinner together tonight.”
“Then it’s another date. Does five thirty work?”
“That’s perfect,” she says, relaxing back into the chair, and I can see the exhaustion setting in.
My phone rings and it is the mechanic calling me back again. “I need to grab this,” I tell her, pointing at my screen before I hit the accept button.
“This is Nathan,” I say, answering the call.
“Mr. Bailey, Tom, here. We’ve got your truck finished and ready for you to pick up at your earliest convenience.”
“Thank you, I’ll be by soon to grab it.”
“All right, see you when you get here,” he says before disconnecting the call.
“Did they get it fixed?” Harper asks once I set my phone down.
“They did, the alternator was bad, plus some spark plugs needed replaced. It doesn’t surprise me since it’s so old and Dad doesn’t drive it much anymore.”
“That’s good that it wasn’t something more serious or expensive to fix.”
“It wouldn’t have mattered what it was or the cost, that truck means more to Dad and me than the mechanics could ever charge me to fix it.”
“I’ll let you go; I need to get back into the kitchen anyways. Start prepping for tomorrow and get started on my special orders.”
“Try not to work yourself too hard. You need a break. I’ll see you at five thirty with dinner in hand. Any requests?”
“Nope, surprise me. Just no mushrooms or pickles,” she says, scrunching her nose.
“Double mushrooms and an extra side of pickles, got it,” I tease.
“Gross!” She pretends to gag. “You show up at my house with either of those two things and I won’t let you past the front threshold,” she threatens.
“Is that so?” I smirk. I’m almost tempted to go buy a container of both, just to test the theory out, but on the other hand, I don’t want to be tossed out, so I’ll refrain, this time.
I stand up, moving to crowd around her so I can kiss her senseless before I have to leave.
“Have a good rest of your day. See you tonight.” I flash her a wink before turning for the door. A little extra pep in my step today.
8
Harper
“Call the fire department, we’ve got a fire in the front!” Lacey calls out as I sit a little stunned while I watch Nathan walk out of the bakery. I snap my attention to her, looking around like there’s an actual fire.
I look over at her again, shrugging my shoulders, as I have no idea what just happened. “What was that?” I finally get out.
“I’d say that is a ma
n that is infatuated with you,” she says, coming over to join me, taking the seat Nathan just vacated.
“It’s a whirlwind, that’s for sure,” I tell her. I can’t believe that Nathan just got into town a few days ago. Now, he’s all up in my business and back in my life like the last ten years never happened, but yet they very much did happen. The scary thing is, that even with all the time that passed, it doesn’t feel like it’s been that long.
“Are you seeing him again tonight?” Lacey asks.
“Yeah, he asked if he could bring dinner over.”
“Yes, girl! Get it. Might as well one of us be getting some.” She snickers.
“Lacey!” I chide.
“Girl, don’t deny it. I know that man made you see stars last night. You came in all glowing, more tired than normal, but with a bounce in your step I haven’t ever seen.”
“It was something,” I admit, thinking back to last night. How different it was, how Nathan made me feel. What it was like to be intimate with him.
“Damn, I need to find me a man like that,” she says.
“Yeah, every woman deserves a man like that,” I agree with her. “It’s just too bad that he’s going back to California in a few days,” I tell her honestly. “I can’t get too attached. It’s not like we can make something work long-term.”
“You’ll figure it out. True love is worth it, so they say.”
“Who said anything about love?” I ask.
“No one, but all I’m saying is, that if it is meant to be, it will be.”
“If you say so,” I murmur, not really believing that we can make whatever this is between us work. Not when he’s in California and I’m in Tennessee. It’s not like I can pack up my bakery and relocate it to California. And I don’t think he can pack up a multi-billion-dollar tech company and relocate it to Tennessee.
“Want some help prepping for the morning?” Lacey asks.
“Yes, maybe we can get out of here early today,” I state, dreaming of the chances of that actually happening.
“Then, let’s get to it. I’ll start the cakes for tomorrow if you want to start the special orders,” she suggests.
“Perfect,” I tell her as we both make our way into the kitchen.
We both wash our hands before we get to work, one of us stopping only the few times a customer came in to pick up an afternoon treat. We’re finally able to get out around four, which isn’t bad, considering how long it usually takes just to clean up once we’ve locked the door and flipped the sign to closed.
I stop at the store on the way home, picking up a small basketful of groceries I was running low on, along with another bottle of wine and another pack of beer. I have no idea what Nathan plans to bring with him tonight, but I needed everything anyway, so it isn’t like I’m just buying things because he’ll be over and hopefully staying again tonight.
9
Nathan
I leave the bakery, heading straight for the mechanic to pick up the truck. Once I’ve got that all paid for, I take off for my parents’ house. I want to stop in for a quick visit with them, plus, I want to grab a change of clothes and my toiletries to have, if I end up back at Harper’s tonight.
“Well, nice to see you today.” Mom smirks as I enter the house. She’s sitting in her chair, nursing her afternoon cup of tea.
“Been a busy morning already,” I tell her, leaving out the fact that I haven’t been here since yesterday, not that she’s not already aware of that, I’m sure. “Had to have the truck towed down to the shop, it broke down on me last night. The alternator went out, but they were able to fix it right up.”
“Why didn’t you call, we could have come picked you up,” she says.
“I didn’t need a ride, Mom. I’m good.”
“And how’s Harper?” she asks, already knowing who I was with.
“I see you’ve been talking to your mother.” I smirk, my dimples flashing as I smile at my mom.
“You know she can’t hold her tongue, and she’s very happy with your choice in women.”
“I’m sure she is. She was spouting off to Harper down at the bakery this morning about needing to have some great-grandbabies before she dies. She told Harper she expects her at Sunday dinner this week.”
“Oh boy. She’s coming on a little strong,” Mom muses.
“You think!” I state. “I need to have a little chat with her, get her to back off some. I don’t know what this is between Harper and me, but I’d like to explore it and see what it is and where it’s going to go. We’ve got obstacles in the way and I don’t need G-Ma getting in the way.”
“She’s mostly all talk, you know that. Plus, it gives her something to focus her energy on, so be easy on her when you do,” Mom warns.
“You act as if I’m going to completely cut her off.” I chuckle. “Quite the opposite. Maybe I can get her to help me somehow. I just have to figure out what I need her help with.”
“Well, you know we’re always here to help, you just have to ask.”
“Thanks, Mom. Where’s Dad at?” I ask.
“Probably out tinkering in the garage or out back. I haven’t seen him since he finished his lunch an hour or so ago.”
“I’ll go track him down, I wanted to catch him up on what they did to the truck so he can add it to his records.”
“Sounds good, I’ve got to run out for a few errands in a bit, should I expect you home for supper?” she asks.
“Nope, I’m picking up takeout and heading over to Harper’s tonight,” I tell her.
“How about a home-cooked meal, instead? I can put together something for you to take, just pop it in the oven when you get there.”
“If, you’re sure? I’ll always take one of your meals, and I’m sure Harper won’t mind. Just nothing with mushrooms or pickles. She said she wouldn’t let me past the front door if I showed up with either of those.”
“Duly noted, I was thinking more along the lines of a lasagna and garlic bread.”
“Yes. That sounds amazing,” I tell my mother, leaning down to press a kiss to her cheek before I go in search of my dad.
I check the backyard, first, not seeing him, so I make my way out to the garage, where I find him tinkering with something on his workbench. “Hey, Dad,” I call out as I close the door behind me.
“Nathan, good to see you, son,” he says, setting down whatever it was that he’s messing with.
“The alternator went out on the truck last night, I got it all fixed up this morning. They changed out some spark plugs, as well,” I update him, handing over the paperwork from the shop.
“Thanks for taking care of that, I should have warned you that it had been giving me troubles, it just slipped my mind.”
“No worries, everything worked out,” I tell him, taking a seat on one of the stools.
“How are things going, and don’t give me no line of BS,” Dad states.
I can’t help but laugh at his directness. He knows me, almost better than I know myself. “If you’d have asked me that last week, I would have answered you very differently than today. Last week, I was stressed out over negotiations on our latest deal. Today, none of that matters. Today, I’m enjoying life. Regretting the ten years I’ve been away, wondering why I let so much time go by without coming home. Now, I’m trying to decide how I make my life combine with Harper’s.”
“A little word of advice from your old man, if it’s meant to be, it will be.”
“But how, Dad? How do we erase the distance, I just don’t see it. I can’t live in California while the woman I love lives in Tennessee.”
“You love her?” he asks, not missing that statement.
“I have since I was fifteen.”
“Does she know?”
“No,” I tell him honestly. “Or, at least, I’ve never told her.”
“Why not?”
“Until three days ago, I hadn’t seen her since I was nineteen and leaving high school. Just because I’ve been carrying a torch
for someone for that long doesn’t mean I can show up after all this time and express my undying love for her. It isn’t like we dated back then, and she could possibly be carrying the same torch for me. I’m just lucky that she isn’t already married with a few kids.”
“She’s one special woman. The way she stepped up and took things over for her parents wasn’t lost on the community. Everyone rallied behind them when Danielle suffered her stroke, and that support spilled over to making sure Harper had enough business to keep the bakery open.”
“Why didn’t anyone ever tell me what had happened? I could have donated enough to cover any of the expenses.”
“Your mother and I discussed it many times. We knew that there was some history there between you and Harper and I had a feeling it had something to do with you not wanting to return home. When things were really bad for the Taylors, it was around the time you’d just sold the app and were also dealing with everyone calling you with their hand held out, hoping you’d fork over a chunk of money. While we knew that you would have done it without even a second thought, we planned on waiting to tell you about it until things had calmed down a bit. After a while, it just didn’t seem like the right time; the major fundraising pushes had passed and it would have been harder for you to make an anonymous donation and, until you returned, I didn’t think you’d want it known that the money was from you. Don’t worry too much, we’ve donated a good amount on your behalf, so it isn’t like we’ve done nothing as a family.”
“I can understand your reasoning, but I can still hate the fact that all of this was kept from me for so long.”
“Looking back, I can see now that we should have told you, let you decide for yourself, but we can’t go back and change the past, we can only look to the future. Now, you have to decide how you move forward.”
“I’ve got this week, so I’m going to make the most out of it.”
“That’s my boy,” Dad says.
I hang around for a while longer, stepping away long enough to go back inside and take a quick shower and change into clean clothes, as well as pack an overnight bag. By the time I’m done, Mom has a small lasagna all prepped and ready for me to take over to Harper’s place.
Nothing Bundt Love Page 5
