The Baker's Man (26 page)

“How have you been?” he asked as he took the bag from her hands and placed it beside the counter.

Lonely, getting by, starting over, excited, happy, missing you, passing time, thinking of you, trying to get over you
. “Busy,” Anna said because it was the least complicated answer she felt comfortable admitting.

He nodded his toward the backroom. “Show me around?”

When he stepped closer to her, Anna’s breaths shortened. The temperature rose in the room. The edges of the crinkled newspapers wilted in the wash of heat. Anna pushed her hair behind her shoulders and fanned her face. Eli had already seen the kitchen when they’d visited Wildehaven Beach together months ago, but she stepped into the backroom anyway.

“Here’s the kitchen,” she said. “I kept pretty much everything how it was before. The layout was already efficient. I added those shelves. I need a bit more storage,” she said and pointed. Something hanging on the wall caught Eli’s attention, and he walked to it.
The corkboard
. Anna groaned inwardly. Now he would likely think she was a stalker or obsessed with him. Was she obsessed with him? Did missing him every single day count as an obsession?
Probably
.

“This is new,” he said, and a slow smile stretched across his face, deepening the dimple in his cheek.

“I, uh, decided to hang postcards from friends up there,” she said, feeling the heat flush her cheeks. “Only no one else has written me. Yet.”

Eli chuckled. “You missed me too,” he said without arrogance. He sounded relieved. He pushed one hand through his hair and then patted it down again.

He turned to face her and close the distance between them. Anna’s head felt light. The pull between them intensified, and she felt her feet moving toward him. Then he stopped moving, and his eyes drifted over her head to the far counter.

“What’s that here for?” he asked.

The sugary haze faded from Anna’s brain. Eli was an arm’s length away, and her fingers tingled at the thought of touching him. But she turned to see what he was asking about. A deli meat slicer sat on the counter gleaming in the light. She chewed on her bottom lip for a moment.

“It’s for slicing meat,” she said, swallowing and feeling a slow burn start up the back of her neck. She tried to rub it away.

“I know what it is. Why do you have it in a bakery?” he asked.

Anna started to say that Timothy and Mel Cornfoot had left it for her because they’d found it in their stock room and it was polished and ready for the right hands, but that would have been a lie. The meat slicer had been an expensive impulse buy at a restaurant supply store.

“I bought it,” she admitted, turning to look at his face. “Because I had hope.”

Eli stepped toward her. His fingers found hers, and he twined them together. “Hope for what?”

Embers flamed to life inside her. “That you might want to use it,” she said, staring at his chest and aching all over.

Eli dropped her hand and walked out of the kitchen. Anna’s heart slammed against her chest and then shuddered, making her stomach clench. Had she said something wrong? Was he upset that she’d been stupid enough to want him to come back? She stood alone in the backroom for a few seconds before she followed him.

Eli snatched the “Help Wanted” sign from the front window and spun around on his heel. He smiled at her and tossed the sign across the room like a Frisbee. It bounced against the remaining boxes, and he held his hands out to her.

“What do you think about having a combination bakery and deli?” he asked, smiling like the Cheshire Cat.

Anna’s mind burst with possibilities and hope for a future with Eli.
Yes, yes, yes
! She smiled in return and held her hands together in front of her, afraid that if she moved, she’d wake up and Eli would be gone. “You want to come here?”

“If you’ll have me,” he said. “There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. You’re home to me.”

Anna’s body shivered, and she smiled so wide a laugh slipped out. Then she ran toward Eli, and he opened his arms, catching her and lifting her feet off the ground with a hug. When Eli placed her down, he didn’t let go. He pulled her against him and kissed her. Anna felt the sunlight on her cheeks, the ocean breeze blowing through her hair. The air was heady with the scents of sugar and spice. She felt like candle wax melting in Eli’s flame. She burned from the inside and folded into him. She slid her hands up his back, pressing her fingers against him, clutching him. Eli put one hand on her neck, warming her skin, sending pulses of energy down her spine. Then he moved the hand into her hair. Anna’s heart pounded an excited rhythm. Her entire body quivered like she had laughter trapped inside, and it couldn’t wait to burst out.

The bell jingled when the front door opened. In her conscious mind, Anna knew she should stop kissing Eli, but her brain asked,
How
? Then it asked,
Why
? Whoever it was could see they were busy, could see she wasn’t yet open for business, and could come back later. Or never. Anna wasn’t concerned with anything other than the way her lips were tingling and how Eli felt warm and safe and
perfect
.

“Should I come back in fifteen?” Lily asked.

Anna tried to pull away, but Eli held her close. He kissed her cheeks and forehead. Then he kissed down her neck. “Maybe an hour,” he mumbled.

Anna laughed and pushed on his chest. He held tight, and she giggled more until he released his grip and smiled down at her.

“You back for good?” Lily asked.

“Oh, I’m sticking around,” Eli said. “As long as Anna will have me.” He looked down at her and grinned.

Anna’s face flushed. She couldn’t stop smiling even though her cheeks started to ache. She pushed up on her tiptoes and kissed him. Happiness swirled around them like a breeze.

Lily held up two brown bags that were stamped with the logo from a local taco shop. “I didn’t know we’d have company. I only bought two meals. Now that you’re sticking around, we’ll be forced to share. I volunteer Anna’s half.” Lily smiled at them both.

Anna rested her hand on Eli’s chest and leaned her head against his shoulder, feeling his warmth flush her skin and wrap her heart with heat and love. She thought of the morning she’d first met him and how he’d smiled at her then just as he was smiling now. She thought of the patrons of Bea’s Bakery, who had walked into the shop that October morning and seen him—Elijah Long—looking like a man who’d strode out of a Hollywood movie: broad-shouldered, sun-kissed, and blue-eyed. He had helped Anna behind the counter like he’d been born to be her partner. She wondered what they would say if they could see him now.

Some might say he’d hitchhiked hundreds of miles to see Anna again. Others would say he’d appeared like magic. Everyone would agree they’d never seen a man look more in love with any woman than Eli was with Anna.

Acknowledgements

Buckets and buckets of thanks, hugs, and crème-filled caramels to my family who have always supported my creativity with their love and encouragement—who have never once laughed at my dreams. Special thanks to Jenna for your super-duper proofing and editing skills—you are extraordinary—to Julianne for making this book lovely and huggable—your artistic skills never cease amaze me—and to Tracey for reading, encouraging, and digging me out of holes during the many incarnations of this story—everyone needs a sounding board and writing buddy like you.

About the Author

Jennifer Moorman was born and raised in Tifton, Georgia, where honeysuckle grows wild and the whippoorwills sing. She considers herself a traveler, an amateur baker, and a dreamer. Jennifer lives in Nashville, Tennessee, where she is currently working on her next novel. To learn more about Jennifer, visit her website at
www.jennifermoorman.com
.