They both nearly jumped when the door opened and a customer came in. The chime over the door was rather startling when the shop had been so silent. Not for the first time, Cara wondered why they didn’t pipe in some soft background music, just something to fill in the quiet moments. But Mr. Marchbanks felt it would be distracting. Distracting from what, Cara wasn’t sure, but she’d never gotten up the courage to ask.
A middle-aged man stepped in and approached Brennan. “Excuse me. I need . . . Well, I’m not entirely sure what I need.”
Brennan smiled, exuding that calm confidence that made everyone trust him so easily. This was his gift as a salesman, cuteness notwithstanding. “Tell me about your special occasion.”
The man shuffled back and forth for a second, obviously searching for the right words. Cara noticed that his clothing was nice, although a little rumpled. She sized him up as someone with money, but who didn’t pay much attention to how he looked beyond getting dressed in the morning and dragging a comb through his hair. “Her name is Victoria, and we dated in high school. I didn’t know a good thing when I saw it and I broke up with her when I went away to college. I figured it was the kindest thing to do—I got a football scholarship and I’d be dating all the cheerleaders, so cutting her loose would allow her to get on with her life, right?” He looked back and forth between Brennan and Cara as if searching for validation for his choice. Neither one of them nodded—Cara wasn’t ready to throw her hat into the ring until she heard the rest of the story.
“Well, turns out that none of the cheerleaders wanted to go out with me, and I didn’t date much at all during college. I kept thinking about Victoria and how sweet she was. After I graduated, I came home, determined to hunt her down and apologize and beg her to forgive me, but I discovered that she’d gotten married and had a baby on the way.”
“Wow,” Brennan replied. That seemed like a safe, noncommittal response.
The man sat down on the stool in front of the case. He looked like he was settling in for a while, so Brennan and Cara sat down too. “After I wished her well, I didn’t know what to do. I’d had it all worked out that I’d marry her and we’d have a little family and life would be great. It took some moping and soul-searching before I could move on from that dream. I got a job selling insurance and met a nice lady, and we got married and had two children. We were really quite happy together and I loved her very much, but she passed away about ten years ago. She had ovarian cancer.”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that,” Cara interjected.
“It’s been hard, but the kids have kept me going. They’re both in college now and doing really well. And I thought I was doing really well too, but then I ran into Victoria.”
“What happened?” Brennan asked. It’s not like this gentleman wasn’t about to tell them, but Brennan was doing the polite thing in encouraging him to keep talking.
“She’s divorced now and works in the catering department up at the lodge. I was there for an insurance conference two weeks ago and when we saw each other, fireworks just went off inside my head. She chewed me out for dumping her, I apologized and told her she was right, and then we got to talking and decided that we wouldn’t change a thing—we both had beautiful families and a lot of love in our lives, so maybe things worked out how they were supposed to. But here I am, talking to her, and she looks just like she did all those years ago, and I realize that I never really stopped loving her somewhere in the back of my heart. So I want to ask her out. And I thought I’d take her a little gift, but I don’t know what.”
He seemed a little winded after his long speech and sat there looking overwhelmed. Cara didn’t know if that was because he wasn’t used to saying so much at a time, or if he was nervous about instigating a new relationship with an old flame. It was probably a combination of both.
“I’m sure we can help you. What’s your name, sir?” Brennan asked.
“Chris.”
“Okay, Chris, let’s find her something that shows her you’ve been thinking about her. I would recommend something small, though—you don’t want to scare her off.” Brennan moved to the case on the far left of the store, where they carried their less-expensive merchandise. Cara nodded—that was great advice. The last thing Chris would want to do was chase Victoria away now that he’d found her again after all these years. And she was glad to hear that Chris had apologized—she could get on his team now.
“Cara, what do you think?” Brennan asked.
She crossed the thick carpet and looked at the item Chris held between his thick fingers. It was a delicate butterfly pendant on a thin gold chain. “She spent a summer in high school working at a butterfly garden,” Chris explained.
“It’s really a lovely piece,” Cara said. “I’ve been looking at it myself—it’s a great choice.”
“And the price point won’t make her feel a sense of obligation,” Brennan added. “It’s a nice memento of a time gone by, and if she’s not interested in pursuing the relationship, it can stay just that—a memento.”
“Okay, let’s wrap it up,” Chris said, handing the necklace back to Brennan. “Thanks for your help. I was so blown away at seeing her again, I might have just charged in here, picked out an engagement ring, and scared her so much, she’d call the cops.”
“Glad we could help.” Brennan nestled the pendant in a velvet box, coiled the chain in the way least likely to knot, and hooked it through the slots on either side of the cardboard insert to hold everything in place. “Is this box sufficient, or would you like it gift wrapped?”
“I think the box is great,” Chris said. He pulled out his credit card and paid, then slipped the box into his pocket. “I’m taking her out to lunch. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Brennan and Cara said in unison as Chris walked out the door.
“That was quite the story—pretty romantic.” Brennan stepped closer to the window and watched as Chris strode away. “I wonder what Victoria will say.”
“I don’t know what’s up with the men in this town today. First Max wanting the lowdown on Morgan and Rory, and now you. You’re all turning into hopeless romantics. I’m not sure if this is good or bad.” Cara secretly thought it was sweet, but she wasn’t about to admit that to Brennan. She’d much rather give him a hard time.
“I should hope it’s good, for all the complaining you women do about how we’re not romantic enough.” Brennan walked back over to the display case and put away the other items Chris had been examining. “So, speaking of Max and singing and stuff like that, have you ever thought about going down and doing open mike night at Harpstrings?”
“What? Get up in front of all those people like I’m at a bad karaoke bar? I don’t think so.” She shuddered, not to be dramatic, but because she couldn’t help herself.
“Oh, come on. Harpstrings is lots nicer than a karaoke bar. And that little auditorium they have in back has great acoustics. Well, that’s what I’m told—I don’t really understand what that means. But it’s a good thing, right?”
Cara smiled. Sometimes she forgot that not everyone was a musician. “It means that the sound travels nicely throughout the room.”
“Well, there you go then. Even better.” Brennan slid the door on the back of the case closed and locked it with the key he wore around his wrist.
She sighed. “I’m really happiest just doing my own thing, okay? I’m already bursting way out of my comfort zone to help Max with this demo. Baby steps. I can’t go faster than that.”
“Okay. I won’t push.” Brennan walked back to his stool and sat down. “Except I will push on one thing.”
Cara bit back a retort. One thing? He would never leave it at just one thing. “And what’s that?”
“You and Max.”
“What do you mean, me and Max? I told you—we’re all set for tomorrow. Well, I mean, as soon as I make sure Cindy’s coming in.” That worry was a pit in her stomach.
“That’s not what I’m talking about.”
&nb
sp; “Then what . . .” Realization dawned. “Oh, no. No. We’re just friends. That’s all.”
“You don’t think there’s anything else bubbling beneath the surface?”
“Of course not. We just met, and besides, he’s gorgeous.”
Brennan swiveled on his stool to face her more directly. “And … I’m not sure why that’s a bad thing.”
“He’s gorgeous, and I’m just me.” She gestured down at herself.
Brennan scowled. “I really don’t know what you mean by that.”
Cara sighed. Why must men be so dense? “Look at me. And now think about him. We’re not a couple. I’m not anywhere near his league. And if you’re going to pester me about my love life, I’ll pester you about yours. Come on—dish.”
Brennan grinned ruefully. “I guess that’s fair. Well, you already know things didn’t work out with Laurie, and now she’s engaged to someone else.”
“Yeah, I did hear about that somewhere, I think.” Brennan either missed her sarcasm or ignored it.
“I had a date with a nice girl last night, but she was just in town for a wedding and lives in Washington, so I don’t think that relationship will go any further.”
“Dates are good,” Cara said encouragingly, glad he wasn’t sitting at home pining after Laurie. Her roommate had really tried to give Brennan a chance, but some things just weren’t meant to be, and now she’d found the guy of her dreams. It was Brennan’s turn now.
“Dates are very good. But you know what, I’m getting tired of dating.”
“You aren’t planning to quit, are you?” Cara flicked a tiny piece of lint off the display case in front of her. How had it even gotten there? The nerve of it. “There would be a lot of disappointed women in this town if you took yourself off the market.”
Brennan snorted. “I don’t know what women you’re talking about.”
“Oh, come on. You’re quite a catch. I get asked at least once a week if you’re available, and I’m not making that up.”
Brennan cocked his head to the side and gave her a dubious look. “Phone numbers.”
“What?”
“Phone numbers. If all these women are asking about me, pass me their phone numbers. I’m getting so tired of these games. I want to find a great woman, fall madly in love with her, and let her take me off the market herself. Otherwise, I’ll just retire from this whole social thing and become a grumpy old bachelor.”
“You aren’t letting your experience with Laurie sour you on romance, are you?” Maybe last night’s date had been a fluke and he really was pining away.
“No. She just made me realize how truly tired I am of always looking and never finding. If I’m such a great guy, why can’t I find someone to share my life with?”
Cara was a little taken aback. She’d never heard Brennan open up like that before. Of course, most of their conversations were pretty light—they were coworkers and they sometimes grabbed a sandwich at the diner together after work, but she never knew he felt that way. And he was right—he deserved someone special in his life.
“I’ll start collecting those phone numbers for you,” she promised. “The right one is out there, Brennan. And I’ll help you find her.”
“You will, huh?”
“Yes. And I’ll do a much better job for you than Alana’s been doing for Rory. I can’t believe some of the girls she’s been setting him up with. And there was Morgan the whole time.”
“I don’t know Rory very well, but I’ve gone into Alana’s shop a few times,” Brennan said. “She seems like a really nice person.”
“Would you like to go out with her?” Cara asked, using a wheedling tone of voice. “I’m sure I could arrange it.”
Brennan shook his head. “She’s a great lady, but she’s a few years older than I am, and I think we’d both get along better with someone closer to our own ages.”
“Well, if you change your mind, let me know. You’ve got someone working for you now.” The phone rang, and Cara stood up to grab it. She could totally help Brennan find his soul mate, and thinking about it might help her get over her nerves about the next day with Max.
Chapter Two
“Hey, Cara. How’s it going?” Quinn greeted from behind the counter at D’Angelo’s Bakery. Cara had decided to go pay Cindy a visit and talk to her face-to-face about her work shift the next day, and nothing broke the ice like a fluffy pastry. At least, she hoped it would do the trick—she badly needed the day off. They needed another employee in the worst way, but until profits went up, that was such a pipe dream.
“I’m good. How are you?”
Quinn shrugged and tucked a piece of her long dark hair back into the bun she wore at the nape of her neck. “Pretty much the same old thing, which is part of the problem. We need to shake things up around here. I’m considering starting a cake decorating class.”
“Really? That would be so much fun.”
Quinn gave a sideways grin. “Do you want to be the first to sign up?”
Cara immediately shook her head. “Um, no. Me around that much sugar? I don’t think so. I’d have to live at the gym in order to work it all off. But I’ll help spread the word, if you’d like.”
“That would be great. So, what can I get you today?”
“How about two of your cream puffs?” Cara had no idea what Cindy liked, but everyone liked cream puffs, right? They were pretty universal.
“Will that be everything?”
“Yeah. And could you put them in one of your cute boxes? They’re kind of a bribe.”
“I gotcha.” Quinn gathered up two cream puffs in a piece of tissue, then wrapped them expertly in a small pink bakery box. Then she sealed it with a gold sticker that had the words “D’Angelo’s Bakery” embossed on it. “Here you go.”
Cara passed some money across the counter and took the box. “Thanks. I’ll catch you later.”
“Don’t forget to help spread the word,” Quinn called out as Cara opened the door.
“I won’t.” Cara waved with her free hand.
* * *
Finding Cindy’s house wasn’t hard—Aspen Ridge was laid out simply, with everything fanning out from Main Street in nice, straight lines. Well, those straight lines did curve a bit as the town edged closer to the base of the mountain, but things were still pretty easy to find. Cara climbed out of her car in front of the small white house and held the bakery box in front of her carefully, not wanting her gift to get smooshed before Cindy even had a chance to see it.
A dog barked from somewhere inside as Cara approached the front door, but it sounded like a small animal and not one of the giant ones she hated. The barking increased when she knocked, then stopped abruptly at the scolding sound of a woman’s voice. A moment later, the front door opened, Cindy on the other side.
“Hey,” Cara greeted her. “I just wanted to stop by and bring you this and see if everything was okay.” She held out the box.
Cindy took it, a confused look on her face. Then her eyes flew open wide. “Oh, my gosh. I was supposed to come in this morning. I’m so sorry—I totally forgot. Please, come inside.”
Cara followed her into the small living room, which was cramped, but tastefully decorated. There was a crack in the plaster running from the ceiling to the floor, but there were pictures hung on every wall and little touches of color here and there, and she could tell that Cindy had tried hard to make this feel like a home. The dog sat contritely in the corner.
“I got a call from my dad this morning and it kind of forced everything else out of my head.” Cindy toyed with the flap on the box. “He’s got cancer. He just found out yesterday, and they’ve only given him six weeks to live.”
“Oh, no.” Cara sank down on the chair near the door. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“Yeah. So I sort of forgot about work.”
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it. Um, I do wonder if you’ll be in tomorrow, though. I wouldn’t even ask except that it’s really important.”<
br />
“Yes, I’ll be there. I promise.”
“Is there anything I can do?” Cara felt a little awkward making this offer. She and Cindy didn’t know each other very well and she couldn’t imagine what she could possibly do that would be helpful, but she’d never been able to see someone in pain and not try to help.
“I think I’ll head home to see him this weekend, but I can’t think of anything else I really need,” Cindy said. “Thanks for the treat. I would say ‘You shouldn’t have,’ but hey, I could use them.”
“You’re welcome.”
Cara stood and made her way to the front door, Cindy behind her.
“I’ll even be a few minutes early tomorrow,” Cindy said, holding the heavy front door open while Cara unlatched the screen.
“Thanks, Cindy. You’re really helping me out here.”
Cara waited to reach her car before exhaling loudly. Oh, thank goodness. She was sorry for Cindy’s father, no doubt about it, but she was so, so grateful that her shift would be covered the next day. She just couldn’t let Max down.
* * *
“You’re going to be great,” Regan said, plunking down on the couch across from where Cara sat and tucking her book under her leg. “Max wouldn’t ask you to be on his demo if he didn’t believe in you—he couldn’t take that kind of risk just to be nice.”
“I guess you’re right.” Cara held her guitar against her chest, wondering if there was some way to get out of this. It was what she’d always dreamed of, but now that the moment had arrived, she wished she could just disappear.
Laurie came in from the kitchen with a bowl of Top Ramen in her hand. “Come on, Cara. This is what you were born to do. You and music—you go together. Like peanut butter and jelly. Or ice cream and brownies. And the world should know it.”
“Why does the world need to know it? Why can’t I just enjoy my music all by myself?”
“Because that would be the chicken’s way out.”
Cara turned at the sound of Morgan’s voice in the front doorway, and she jumped off the couch to greet her friend. “Hey! You’re back! How are you feeling?”
Five Golden Rings (Main Street Merchants Book 3) Page 2
