The Baker's Man (8 page)

“Here,” she said, shoving the money into Eli’s hands. “Yesterday’s pay for working.”

Eli pushed the money back. “You don’t have to pay me.”

“You’re not working for free,” she argued. “I think they’ll arrest me for that.” She held the money out to him, and he took it, holding her hands for a few seconds. When her thoughts started leaking out her ears, she jerked her hands away and glared at him. Eli smirked.

Lily adjusted her purse on her shoulder. “If we’re not back in a couple of hours, send out a search party. You know I have LoJack on my car, right? If anything happens, the police can find me.”

Anna exhaled loudly. “You’re going
shopping
.”

Lily responded with a glare.

Eli wiped a smudge of flour from Anna’s cheek, causing her to sigh in a completely inappropriate way. Her body arched toward his like they were two magnets sliding across the floor. “We’ll be back,” he said to her. Then he looked at Lily and said, “Anna and I have dinner plans. We’ll definitely not be out for long.” He crossed the room toward the door.

Lily stared bug-eyed at Anna as Anna lifted her fingers to her cheek. Lily gave her a look that said,
We’re going to discuss this later
, and they were out the door, leaving behind an afternoon wind that brought in cherry-red maple leaves.

6
Dark and Stormy Ganache

Blustery afternoon winds blew in swollen storm clouds. The muggy air dampened everything as the town waited for rain. Anna closed the bakery at dusk and hurried to grab the mail before the sky burst open. She flipped through the handful of letters, but suddenly she stopped. She dropped everything on the table except an envelope mailed from the coast. Anna shoved her finger beneath the flap and ripped open the letter. Torn pieces littered the floor. She yanked out the folded contract. It smelled briny, and it warmed her cheeks. The faint sounds of rolling ocean waves and crying gulls filled the room. She pictured the boardwalk and glittering sand blowing across her toes.

A smile broke across her face. She lifted onto her tiptoes and bounced up and down. Then she twirled across her small kitchen, holding the contract high in the air like a baby doll dance partner. Her front door opened, and the scent of ripe cherries burned her nose. Anna barely had time to haphazardly shove the contract beneath a cookbook on the table. Half of it stuck out and hung off the side.

“What on earth are you doing?” Evelyn O’Brien asked.

Anna stepped in front of the dangling contract. “Mama,” she said breathlessly, “you should knock. I never barge into your house without knocking.”

“I have a key. Why would I knock?” Evelyn moved a book from the chair cushion and sat. “Besides, what would I interrupt? A baking session?” She smiled at Anna. “Come and sit. I have exciting news.”

Anna dropped onto couch. “How’s Daddy?” she asked. “He didn’t come by for his cookies this afternoon.”

“He’s finally agreed to let me redo the kitchen. I had him looking for a specific tile this afternoon. But you’ll never guess who called me today. Charlotte Clarke.” Evelyn paused for emphasis. When Anna didn’t fill in the silence with a response, Evelyn huffed. “The Clarke House? She’s selling it. She knows you’ve always loved it, and she’s agreed to let you make an offer first.”

Anna leaned forward, propping her elbows on her knees. Her heart pounded too hard. She’d been in the Clarke House only a handful of times during the years, but she had seen it in her dreams. It was a magical place, a yellow and white gingerbread house nestled among pink dogwoods, wild roses, and lavender. “Is this a joke?”

“Tessa is representing Charlotte as her realtor,” Evelyn said. “You’ll make an offer, of course. Opportunities like this are rare, and you could finally move out of the bakery.”

Anna’s mouth was as dry as if she’d thrown a handful of flour onto her tongue. “I like this apartment.”

Evelyn laughed and smoothed her hands down her gray slacks. “This is a shoebox, honey,” she said. “This isn’t a place you live in forever. I think Baron would love the Clarke House too. It’s big enough for a growing family.”

Melancholy slipped into the room, swirled around Anna, and settled beside her on the couch. She stared at the contract swaying off the table. “Baron was offered a job in California, and he’s moving,” Anna said, unable to look at her mother’s expression.

Evelyn sat up straighter in the chair, displacing the air in the room like an approaching tornado. The contract flapped against the edge of the table, and Evelyn glanced over her shoulder at the sound. “You’re going to leave Mystic Water? You can’t. You belong here.”

Anna’s heart punched out a panicked rhythm. Had her mother somehow found out about the job offer in Wildehaven Beach? Keeping secrets from her mother was nearly impossible. She had eyes and ears everywhere. Nothing was ever too secret to be kept from Evelyn O’Brien. Anna opened her mouth to explain, but her mother stood and paced the living room.

“I know you love Baron, but how could he ask you to leave? He has a perfectly good job at the firm here. What’s in California that he can’t do here? This is your home. This town needs you.”

The room stunk like cherries forgotten in a summer sun. Anna stood and rubbed her stomach. She felt nauseous and clammy. “He didn’t ask me to go.”

Evelyn’s eyes widened. Her pink, glossed lips parted, but nothing came out. Then she pressed her hand to her collarbone. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry.”

Anna tried to swallow but couldn’t. Her mother’s pity undid the last of her resolve. She shrugged as if to say,
It doesn’t matter
. But it mattered so much she felt suffocated by her crumbling plans. Evelyn closed the short distance between them and wrapped her arms around her daughter. Anna clung to her.

“He’s an idiot not to ask you to go,” Evelyn said.

“Mama, you were just mad when you believed he
had
asked me to go.” Despite the ache in her body, she smiled against her mother’s shoulder.

“Of course, you can’t go with him, but I’m indignant that he didn’t ask,” Evelyn said and pulled away from Anna. “You’ve followed that boy around for years and supported all his nonsense whims. I’ve always thought you were too good for him. You need a solid man. A good man who knows how special you are—”

A bolt of lightning lit the entire apartment. Thunder rattled the windows, and books leapt off the shelves. Amid the storm, the front door flung open, and Eli rushed inside. He dripped rainwater onto the hardwood.

“Barely made it,” he said, dropping his bags on the floor and rubbing one hand through his wet hair. Water droplets flew through the air and caught the light like glitter. “One more minute and I would have had to swim from the car.”

His drenched clothes adhered to his body as if he’d taken a shower fully clothed. Evelyn stood rigid beside Anna. Eli noticed Evelyn and smiled. Anna dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling, exhaling loudly.

Eli walked over to Evelyn. “You must be Mrs. O’Brien.” He held out his hand, and Evelyn hesitated before shaking it. “I’m Eli.”

Evelyn’s light eyebrows rose on her forehead. She looked at Anna for an explanation.

“Mama, this is Elijah Long. He’s a—a friend from college. He’s helping me at the bakery for a while.”

Evelyn smiled, but her eyes scrutinized Eli. “From the Culinary Institute?” she asked. Eli nodded. “It’s nice to meet you. Will you be staying in town for a while?”

Eli looked at Anna. “As long as Anna needs me, I’ll be around.”

When he smiled at her, Anna couldn’t help but sigh. She shoved her hands into her pockets because all she wanted to do was trace the outlines of his chest muscles with her fingers.

“Is that so? Where are you staying, Eli? I hope you’re not paying too much for a short-term lease. I know a few people who are renting out houses or small duplexes at affordable prices. I’m sure they would be willing to work out a month-to-month lease with you.”

Eli smiled. “I’ll keep that in mind. I’m staying with Anna at the moment.”

Evelyn’s brown eyes bulged like popovers, and Anna feared she might have to shove them back into her mama’s head. “Eli, could you give my daughter and me a minute alone?”

Eli grabbed his shopping bags and headed for Anna’s bedroom. “I’ll jump in the shower. Nice meeting you, Mrs. O’Brien. I hope to see you again.”

When the bathroom door closed, Evelyn turned to Anna. “Have you lost your mind? You’re letting a grown man stay in your apartment? This place is barely big enough for you.”

“Mama, it’s only for a little while.” Anna grabbed a towel from the kitchen and started drying Eli’s puddle and trail of water.

“How well do you know him? Does Baron know he’s staying here?” Evelyn asked. She fisted her hands on her hips.

“Yes, he knows.” Anna didn’t bother adding that Baron was displeased about her houseguest too. Having her mama and Baron on the same team was more than she could stomach at the moment.

“I can’t imagine he’s okay with it.”

On her hands and knees, Anna wiped away the last of Eli’s wet footprints. She stared up at her mother. “I’m sick of caring about what Baron thinks. I’m a grown woman, and I can offer a friend a place to stay if I want. It’s my choice.”

Evelyn’s lips pressed together. Anna knew her mama wanted to argue. “It isn’t proper. What will people say? You have a man staying with you.”

Anna stood and threw the wet towel into the sink. “Mama, I don’t care what the town thinks. It’s my business.”

“He’s too handsome to stay with you,” Evelyn argued. Anna was so shocked she laughed. Evelyn added, “Don’t laugh at me. He is, and you’re a beautiful girl. Things happen between boys and girls.”

“Mama,” Anna said in exasperation. She filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. Anna heard her mama fiddling with papers. When she turned, she saw Evelyn reading the contract.

“What is this?” Evelyn asked. “Are you offering to buy a bakery in Wildehaven Beach?” Her mama’s face paled, and she dangled the contract from her fingers as though it was a contaminant.

During the past two days there had been too many lies told, so Anna answered honestly. “Yes. The owner is retiring. The bakery is in the perfect location.” Anna reached for the contract. “It’s a great opportunity, Mama. You know I love the ocean. I was going to talk to you about it.”

“You have a stranger living in your apartment. You’re entertaining the idea of moving more than an hour away to a town where you’ll have no friends or family. Who are you and what have you done with my daughter?” Evelyn asked. She stared at Anna with her dark eyes and shook her head with disapproval. “I think you need to remember that this is your home, it matters what the people here think about our family, and you have a responsibility to keep your grandmother’s legacy alive.” Evelyn walked to the door. When she opened it, the raging storm winds gusted into the apartment, fluttering book pages and bringing in the pungent scent of sulfur.

“Mama…”

“Think about what you’re doing. I’ll call you tomorrow.” Evelyn grabbed an umbrella from the stand next to the door. She opened it and walked out into the rainstorm.

˜˜˜˜

Anna swan dived onto her bed and exhaled a long, pent-up breath. Thunder growled outside her windows, and dishes rattled in the cabinets. Eli stepped out of the bathroom; steam crawled along the floorboards. She turned her head and looked at him. He wore a towel wrapped around his waist. Anna grabbed a pillow and smashed it on her head, but she could still smell a hint of melting chocolate.

She felt him sit on the bed a few minutes later. She rolled onto her back. The blue shirt he wore perfectly matched his eyes. “Show me what you bought with Lily.”

“You want to talk about it?” he asked. He opened a shopping bag and grabbed the folded clothes inside.

Her brow wrinkled. She propped up on her elbows. “About what you bought?”

“About what’s bothering you.”

Anna shook her head. Thoughts of Baron, Eli, Wildehaven Beach, the Clarke House, and her mama sunk together in the mire of her mind. “Let’s see what you found.”

Eli laid his new clothes on the bed. Lily was a professional fashionista. Her exemplary taste shined as Anna sorted through Eli’s finds. She smiled at him. “Your pants fit.”

Lightning zigzagged outside her bedroom window. Eli pretended to model the jeans he wore, which now were long enough for his tall frame. Rain assaulted the windowpanes, and Eli returned to the bed.

“I thought you’d look more alike, you and your mother,” he said. “Do you look like your dad?”

Anna thought it was odd that Eli wouldn’t already know what her daddy looked like. Maybe some of his memories were blurry, like looking at a photograph through water. Anna shook her head. “I look like my grandpa. He was Irish.”
Or at least that’s what they’d told everyone.
She lifted a lock of her hair. “Red-haired and green-eyed. Fortunately for me, my hair is more auburn than flaming red.”

“People can’t call you Carrots,” he said. After a long pause, he added, “She was pretty burned up about something.”

He reached out and hooked a finger around one of Anna’s. She closed her eyes and sighed. He filled her with warmth, like being wrapped in a bed sheet just out of the dryer. She lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Holding Eli’s finger seemed to anchor her, calm the jumble tangling inside her.

“I love Mystic Water,” she said. “It was a great place to grow up.”

“But?”

She rolled her head to the side and looked at him. Did Eli already know her feelings? Did he already know what she would say because she’d created him from her own consciousness? “But I never wanted to come back here and live forever.”

“And here you are,” he said as he leaned onto his side.

Anna felt drawn to him. She wanted to curl up against him and press her face against his chest. When he slipped his hand into hers, she knew it would be a mistake to move any closer to him. A fire sparked low in her stomach and sent flames of heat to every nerve.

“Grandma died, and someone had to keep the bakery running. It was the right thing to do.”

“But not what
you
wanted to do.” He rubbed his thumb over the top of her hand.