“I’m from New York. Why don’t you speak all Texas-like?”
“I’m from Alaska. Next question. What are you doing here?”
He shrugged. “I came to be the new doctor, seemed like a good opportunity to slow down and enjoy a simpler life than the one I had in the city. How about you?”
“I…” She reflexively placed a hand on her belly, as she did whenever she thought about the baby. How much did she want to reveal? She was still early enough in her pregnancy that she hadn’t worked out the best strategy when it came to discussing the upcoming birth or the absent father figure. On top of that, she liked Dr. Luke—like really liked him—and even though it was totally inappropriate, she also didn’t want to scare him off so soon. It felt good to flirt. It felt good to sit with a handsome man and watch him nosh on her tiny cakes. It felt good to just be herself rather than some tragic victim of life’s twisted game.
“I came down to spend the summer with my grandmother,” she said at last. Maybe she could reveal part of her story now and more of it later? Yes, that seemed best. “She’s actually more like my mom. My parents died when I was real little, and my grandma and grandpa raised me and my sister.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” Somehow the room felt colder without the warmth of his smile. His eyes darted toward the countertop, but she waved to get his attention again.
“Don’t be. My grandma is awesome, and I’ve had an incredible life.” Why did it sound like she was preparing her own eulogy? And why was she coming off so manic-depressive today? Pregnancy hormones? Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that this gorgeous man had unexpectedly been dropped into her kitchen when she’d least expected it?
She pressed her lips into a tight line to avoid taking this conversation any further down this dark path. It had been a while since she’d found herself crushing on a cute guy, but she knew enough to realize that this was not how one made a good impression or got asked out for a date. If he asked her out on a date, what would she even say? Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed by all that could go wrong. Why had she ever opened that stupid, purple door and invited him in?
Luke studied her for a moment, then picked up his cupcake to take another bite. But first he said, “Tell me more about her. Your grandmother, I mean.”
Mandy could kiss him for sparing her from the direction the conversation was headed. Deborah, she could talk about all day if she had to—and even if she didn’t. “Well,” she began. “She wrote erotic poetry back in the 50’s, chased her favorite singer across the country on her first date with my grandpa, makes the most awesome cookies you’ve ever tasted, and when we were growing up, she would write stories for my sister and me where we were the main characters. Now that she’s retired, I think she’s going to try to get some of them published.”
“Wow, you weren’t kidding when you said she was awesome.”
Now it was her turn to toss a wink his way. “Told ya.”
He laughed and dropped his napkin onto the empty plate in front of him. “Yes, you did. Now tell me more about you.”
She hesitated. Was now the time to reveal her fast-approaching mommyhood?
“How long have you been making the world’s most delicious cupcakes?”
She sighed with relief and fixed her most gracious smile upon him. “Do you really think they’re the most delicious, like in the whole wide world?”
“Haven’t tasted a better one yet.”
“Bless you, Dr. Luke. Well, this recipe is brand new, but I’ve been baking since maybe first grade and have wanted to open up my own bakery since I turned eighteen. I’m twenty-four now, and I still want that more than anything.”
“So what’s stopping you?”
She gulped. Now was definitely the time to tell him. She only hoped he wouldn’t look too disgusted, wouldn’t leave too abruptly when she revealed the truth.
Oh, shoot! Luke hadn’t meant to force a confession from Mandy. He already knew she was pregnant and judging from their shameless flirting, he’d come to realize that there probably wasn’t a Mr. Mandy in the picture. Besides she’d traveled thousands of miles from her home to come spend the summer with her elderly grandmother. Most doting dads-to-be would have insisted on coming too. Heck, if he were with Mandy, he wouldn’t want to be away from her for a single night, let alone an entire season.
Her goofiness, her joy, her stunning beauty, it all had him smitten. Was it possible to fall so head over heels within mere minutes of meeting someone? He had every reason—and every excuse—to thank her for the cupcake, wish her well, and continue on his rounds, but somehow he just couldn’t leave. Not yet.
Mandy placed both of her palms flat on the counter and pushed herself up to a standing position, then walked to the other side of the kitchen and leaned back up against the cabinets. “I was saving every cent I earned to open up my own bakery. My goal was to have my own place before I turned twenty-five, and I was on track too, but…” She stretched a hand over her abdomen and looked up at him with a sad smile.
“Anyway… My life has taken a different course now, and I need that money for the baby.”
Watching her struggle to keep that gorgeous smile on her face just broke his heart. Before he could stop himself, he too was on his feet. He hurried over to her and wrapped her in his arms. Her head rested on his chest as he stroked her hair in a soothing gesture.
Neither said a word. They just basked in the comfort of each other. And she didn’t seem to have any idea that he needed the reassurance every bit as much as she did.
Should he leave her now and take the memories of this pleasant afternoon with him, or should he keep the truth hidden in his heart for the opportunity to get to know her better? Back and forth, back and forth, his mind went. It would be so easy to stay, but wouldn’t it be best for both of them if he ended this now before anything could officially start?
She smiled up at him, her face patchy despite the fact she hadn’t shed any tears. “Luke, I…”
The sound of the door swinging open cut her off. Two sets of footfalls entered through the same door he’d just come through himself, not too long ago.
“Something smells heavenly!” chirped an old woman’s voice, growing closer as she spoke. “Mandy, you wouldn’t believe what—”
She stopped short the minute she spied Luke and Mandy still standing in each other’s arms there in the kitchen.
“Oh, shoot. Hi, Grandma.” Mandy rushed to hug the woman. She chanced a shy look back at Luke. “This is Doctor Luke. He was just helping me with, uh…”
“Taste testing,” he supplied when Mandy couldn’t seem to find the words on her own.
“Is that what you kids are calling it these days?” She raised an eyebrow at her granddaughter, and Luke realized he had seen Mandy make that exact same gesture only moments before.
The elderly gentleman covered his mouth and chuckled, which only seemed to increase Mandy’s embarrassment.
“I should really be going. Lots of people to meet today.”
The woman laid a hand on Luke’s shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. “Wait a minute there. Have a seat. You haven’t properly met us yet. Isn’t that right, James?”
“No, I don’t believe he has. I’m James Morgan, and this is my lady, Deborah Rockwell. How do ya do?”
“Hello, dear. Seems you’ve already met my beautiful granddaughter, Mandy.”
“I… uh…” The old couple continued to carry the conversation forward before he could formulate any kind of a response.
“So you’re the new doctor around here, is that right? I never knew the old fella. I’m new around here too, but I’ve heard great things.”
“Oh, Dr. Brooks was wonderful! But I’m sure you’re lovely too, Dr. Luke. And it seems my granddaughter might also agree with that sentiment.”
“Grandma…”
“Well, were you or were you not just hugging him?”
“Grandma!”
“Mandy, you know I’m getting older. I’ve
got to take my gossip however I can get it. Looks like you have something juicy to tell me. But, fine, I can take a hint.” She shook her head, then turned her full attention toward the doctor. “So tell me, Dr. Luke, do you like to read?”
He cleared his throat to buy some time, and Deborah waited, her eyes growing larger and larger the longer he took. “Yes, yes, I love to read. Who doesn’t?”
“That’s the right answer. Do you know I write poetry?”
“Mandy did mention something about that.”
“Would you like to hear some of mine?”
“Sure!”
Deborah and James exchanged what could only be described as an amorous look. When the old woman faced Mandy once again, a mischievous glint shone within her eyes.
She wouldn’t…
“My love knows no man. My love knows only…”
“Grandma, stop!”
“Fine, fine.”
“I should really be going. I…”
“Now wait just another minute there, young fella.” Now it was James who kept him from leaving. What a crazy, but charming, old couple! “It’s quite hot out there,” he continued. “Before you leave, let’s all have a nice sugar-free lemonade.”
“That’s a great idea, James,” Deborah cut in. “It is hot as the devil’s hairy nipple out there. Anyway I have a much nicer story to share with Dr. Luke. Mandy, it will be your first time hearing this one too, and it’s one of my favorites.”
“I guess one glass couldn’t hurt.”
“Grandma, I’ll listen as long as you promise it won’t embarrass me or you.”
“You should know me well enough by now to realize I’m rarely embarrassed, but no. This is a sweet story about love lost and then found again. It’s the story about how James and I met so many years ago and then met a second time just this year. Mind you, I’m no runaway bestseller like your Aunt Vanessa with those toe-tingling romances of hers, but I happen to think it’s a lovely story. I call it When I Fall in Love.”
Chapter 4
As much as Mandy hated to see her grandmother with anyone other than her Grandpa Rip, she could also see the love in James’s eyes every time he stole a glance at Deborah. Mandy only wondered how it was that life had given Deborah two great loves while Mandy got zero.
Something special had passed between her and Luke in the kitchen that afternoon. That she couldn’t deny, but she also had to be realistic. She was in no position to date, not now and possibly not ever again—or at least not until her little one started school. Oh my goodness, one day she’d have a five-year-old, and it wasn’t even that far into the future.
Luke must have realized that too, because before he left, he politely shook everyone’s hands and said his goodbyes without asking for her number or inviting her out for a date. And that was for the best, really. For all she knew, he had a wife and kids of his own at home and had just wanted to flirt with her to pass the time. He could be a complete creep for what little she knew about him. But somehow her heart told her differently.
If only she’d learned to think with her heart instead of her body a bit earlier in life, then she might not be in this whole mess to begin with. Still, as much as she hated it, her mind drifted back toward Josh more often than she’d like to admit. Did he think about her too? Did he wonder what color their baby’s eyes would be, wonder whose features would make up that little face? Did he feel bad about turning her away, about not stopping her when she left?
No, no, no.
Of course he didn't care. If he did, he’d have made that obvious. She’d asked so little of him, and even that he couldn’t provide. Now she couldn’t afford to waste one more heartbeat on that jerk. She needed to be tough and strong, like any single mother had to be in order to provide the best for her child.
Anyway, since when had she become so boy crazy? If she wasn’t thinking of her old flame Josh, she was thinking of her new crush Luke. Why couldn’t she just focus on herself? She needed to get them both—and all other men—out of her mind once and for all. Yes, what she needed was a distraction.
And luckily that’s why God had invented baking, for there was no doubt in her mind that the activity was divine. She coated her hands in flour and said a quick prayer for her unborn child. God, give me the strength. Give me the courage.
As she preheated the oven, she attempted to clear her mind of all extraneous thoughts.
While mixing a fresh batch of ingredients, she focused on her breathing. In, out. In, out…
And before she knew it, she had a fresh batch of cookies cooling on the counter. The very same moment she pulled those delicious little morsels from the oven, all the obsessive wondering came back. Does Josh miss me? Does Luke want me? Can I do this on my own?
So she made another batch, and another, and in no time she had a good dozen dozens of sugar-free butterscotch oatmeal cookies. What in the heck was she going to do with all these desserts?
Now that she had finished baking once again, of course—of course!—her mind drifted right back to Luke. She thought of how he’d just shown up at her door that afternoon a couple days ago. Well, she could do that. It would be nice to meet her grandma’s neighbors. It could at least get her mind off the men who refused to stay out of her thoughts long enough to grant her some sanity. And in the process she could unload some of her cookies. Maybe even get a little feedback from the residents regarding what they thought of this newest recipe.
Yeah, it would be like market research or something. That sounded like a smart thing to do. Like something you planned, not something you just randomly did to escape your demons.
To lend her idea a little more professionalism, she borrowed some of her grandma’s stationery and wrote out a note to go with each batch:
Please enjoy these cookies. They’re low-fat and sugar-free, so don’t feel guilty about indulging! I would love it if you could offer me some feedback on the back of this card when you’re done, and then leave the card taped to your door for me to collect later. All thoughts, good or bad, are welcome. I need to make this recipe perfect!
With the kindest regards,
Mandy “granddaughter of Deborah” Rockwell
124 Wagon Wheel Lane
She briefly considered asking them to email her their feedback, but then thought better of it. Just because her grandma was hip with the latest technology trends didn’t mean the other eighty-year-olds were.
So after writing out twenty-four identical cards, she grabbed some paper plates from the pantry, placed a half dozen cookies on each, and then slid each kit—note included—into Ziploc bags.
Yes, this was definitely a smart way to get some insights in on her newest recipe. Maybe she still had a bit of fire in her, after all. Maybe she could find a way to make her dream work despite the circumstances. She still had almost six months, and no job to keep her busy in the meantime. Although she’d promised her grandmother she would at least try to keep going, she hadn’t originally planned to follow through. Sure, she would bake and do her best to appear merry, but she hadn’t thought opening her own bakery would even be possible. For as much as she wanted to, she just couldn’t face the prospect of failure either.
Besides, she’d always enjoyed making big, grand plans that she never had any intention of keeping. That was just in her nature. From the scrapbook she kept as a little girl to plan her fairytale wedding right down to her big binder of research for the theoretical bakery. Best case scenario, she would surprise herself and actually come out successful. Worst case scenario, she’d have found a way to pass the next six months and keep her mind from going stale.
Really, it was a win-win.
Abilene was her blank slate, her fresh start. From here, she could go anywhere, do anything. Rather than letting that realization terrify her, she needed to be optimistic. She was no longer tied to the tiny suburbs of Anchorage and its surrounding locales. She could move anywhere, which gave her a much better chance of actually doing this—opening her dream bakery.
Couldn’t you get a house for like a hundred bucks in Detroit these days? She had at least that much saved up. But she was getting ahead of herself… again.
First she would deliver her cookies, then she could take things from there.
During the past couple days, Luke had managed to meet all the residents who weren’t either on vacation, in the hospital, or otherwise indisposed. Today the time had come to officially begin his work. He kept a cell phone with him always, so that his patients could reach him any time day or night, and the rest of his day he went around making house calls. His next appointment was with a Mrs. Betty Blue who was complaining of lightheadedness and heart palpitations.
Lately, he had felt much the same himself. He wasn’t accustomed to the Texas heat nor to spending so much time outdoors as he drove his tiny golf cart full of medical supplies from one patient’s home to the next. As to the heart palpitations, well… Every time he thought of a certain baker that particular organ fluttered within his chest like a danged butterfly.
Mandy, Mandy, Mandy.
Why couldn’t he get her out of his mind? True, he wanted a fresh start, but not like this. He’d never had much time for a relationship back in the city, and now that his schedule had opened up considerably, he intended to take that extra time to make things right with himself and with God above. Physical distance couldn’t save him from the overwhelming guilt he still felt every day when he thought back to that fateful decision that had changed his entire life’s trajectory.
For her part, Mandy provided a nice, although unwitting, distraction. Was it really so wrong to let memories of the afternoon they’d shared light up the dark places within his heart? He knew nothing could ever happen between them—they both had too much to sort through on their own—but just thinking was okay, right?
He took a deep breath to re-center himself, then knocked on Mrs. Blue’s plain beige door.
“Come in,” her quavering voice called from within the bowels of the tiny house.
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 30
