I WOKE up Friday morning in a good mood. I’d had dinner at Anders’s place, and after we ate, we snuggled on the couch, which led to a very memorable make out session.
I finally dragged myself into the apartment at ten only to find Sabrina lying on the couch with Samuel screaming in his crib. I hurried her off to bed and spent the night alternating between rocking Samuel and trying to sleep on the rocking chair so as not to disturb him.
Even though I was exhausted, the thrill I felt from my night with Anders had my heart pounding. He really was perfect.
I was readying some cookie dough when my phone rang. I rinsed my hands and picked it up. Dad was calling.
“Hey,” I said as I slipped my phone between my shoulder and cheek. I washed my hands again and returned to the dough.
“Hey, Abi.”
I smiled at my dad’s term of endearment for me. We’d had a rocky relationship ever since Mom died and he went AWOL. But after his return last year and some meddling from Penny—his new wife—we were on the mend.
“Hey, Dad.”
He paused. “I tried calling Sabrina.”
I stopped what I was doing and glanced toward the front windows. I wasn’t surprised that she didn’t answer, but a small flicker of worry simmered in my gut that she would have so quickly gotten distracted. She
seemed chipper this morning, so I figured today was going to be a good day.
“Huh. She was awake when I left.” “Maybe she’s changing Samuel?” “Probably.”
“Well, Penny wanted me to call and check up on you two.”
I smiled. Typical Dad. He didn’t want to intrude even though I told him numerous times that him calling me was never intruding. “Thanks.”
“Tell her that we want to come out next month.” I could hear Penny’s voice in the background.
“Penny wants me to tell you that we’re planning a trip out there.” “You are? When?”
Dad’s muffled voice asked, “When?” before I heard Penny say, “Here, let me do it. Abigail?”
“Hey, Penny.”
“I was hoping to get Jackson to your bookstore for a signing next month. What do you think about that?”
“Jackson here? At my store?” “Yes.”
“That’s…” My heart surged at her words. I knew Penny wasn’t one for sap, but for the first time in a long time, I felt happy. I had Anders, a mother figure, and my dad in my life. If I had my sister back, my life would be perfect.
“That would be great,” I finally said as I shook off my emotions and focused on the present.
“Awesome. We’ll see you then.” “Sounds good.”
We said our goodbyes, and I let my phone slip from my shoulder and land on the dish towel on the counter next to me. I tried to silence the fear in my mind that Sabrina wasn’t answering her phone as I scooped dough onto the cookie sheets. My mind felt like quicksand.
I heard knocking at the front door. I glanced up to see Anders standing in front of the window. He gave me a small wave. I smiled and yelled, “Hang on.”
After washing my hands, I grabbed the towel as I made my way to the door and unlocked it. As soon as I pulled the door open, Anders had his hands on my waist and pressed his lips to mine.
He groaned when he pulled back. “You taste like sugar,” he said before he went in for another kiss.
I giggled against his lips. “That’s what happens when you date a cafe owner.”
He pulled back but kept his hands planted firmly on my hips. “I’m one lucky guy,” he said with a wink and then nuzzled his face into my neck and trailed kisses to my ear. “I missed you when you left last night,” he said against my skin.
“I know,” I said as I pulled away. Anders wasn’t too happy that I’d left, but Sabrina needed me home, and I wasn’t quite ready to bring our romantic relationship to the next level. We were still getting to know each other, and I didn’t feel like I was ready for what Anders so obviously wanted.
“Are you two done?”
A deep voice startled me, and I glanced over Anders’ shoulder to see Bash standing there. He wasn’t wearing black this time. Instead, he had on a blue t-shirt and jeans. He had his hands shoved into his front pockets, and he looked completely uncomfortable. Well, from the little I could see through the hair draped across his face.
“Killjoy,” Anders complained in my ear before he pulled back.
I swatted Anders with the towel and allowed my gaze to drift over to Bash, who had yet to meet my gaze. “What are you two doing here?” I asked.
“I have to go out of town for work, and Bash got tired of hearing me rave about your food. He said he had to come down here with me.”
“I did not.” Bash glared at Anders
Anders raised his hands and let out a loud laugh. “Just kidding. I told him I’d buy him breakfast if he actually left the apartment today.”
“He leaves the apartment,” I said before I could stop myself.
Anders and Bash turned to look at me as heat pricked the back of my neck. I swallowed and shrugged. “I mean, wouldn’t he be pale if he never got sun?”
Anders stepped back and ran his gaze over Bash. “Now that Abigail mentions it, you are looking tanner.” He leaned closer. “Do you have a secret life that I don’t know about?”
Bash squinted and moved to turn away. “I’m going back home—” “Geez, man. It’s a joke. I’ll buy you breakfast,” Anders said as he
reached out and grabbed Bash’s arm.
Bash paused before he turned back around. Not sure what was going on between the two of them, I swung the towel over my shoulder and nodded toward the kitchen. “I’ll get some food cooking then.”
Anders and Bash talked while I made up some sausage and egg croissants. Even if it was awkward to have Bash here, it was nice to cook and listen to the two of them talk and laugh. Well, Anders talk and laugh. Bash just sat there; his entire body was stiff as he studied his friend.
I dished up their food, and the cafe was silent as they ate. I returned to cookie making. When they were done, Anders let out a moan of pleasure.
“You sure do know how to tickle a man’s tastebuds, Abi,” he said as he pushed his plate to the side and leaned over the counter. He grabbed my shirt and pulled me to him, smashing his lips to mine.
I’d been too stunned to brace myself, and in his efforts, he ended up knocking the scoop from my hand. If he noticed, he didn’t move to correct his mistake. Instead, he took the kiss a little too far, trying to shove his tongue in my mouth.
I didn’t respond, and thankfully, he didn’t push it further. His phone rang, so he pulled back and pressed his lips to my cheek before letting me go. I stood there with a now empty hand trying to figure out what the heck just happened.
Anders slipped his phone into his pocket as he declared he was heading out. After a loud smack on Bash’s shoulder, he blew me a kiss and left.
I blinked a few times, trying to process the events, before I saw movement next to me and realized that Bash was still here. But he was no longer sitting at the counter. He’d stood as he reached across the counter and grabbed Anders’ discarded plate.
“Sorry about that,” he said as he stacked the plates, moved around the counter, and lingered on the outskirts of the kitchen as if he wasn’t sure if it was okay for him to come in.
I shook my head to wake up and then glanced over at him. “Did you say sorry?” Had my ears deceived me?
He met my gaze for a moment before shifting it to the plates in his hands. “I was just apologizing for Anders’s behavior?”
“Behavior?”
Bash must have given up waiting on me to invite him in because he stepped across the threshold and over to the sink. I was leaning against the counter, watching him, as I tried to process what was happening.
“Anders can be oblivious to the world sometimes,” he said as he moved over to me.
My entire body tensed, but he didn’t touch me. Instead, he crouched down and picked up the fallen cookie scoop.
“Do you do this a lot?”
Bash had returned to the sink and was now filling it with hot, soapy water. “Do what?”
“Apologize for your friend.” I waved my hand at the dishes. “Clean up his mistakes.”
Bash’s shoulders tightened as if my words struck a chord. I paused, wondering what that was about and if I even had any reason to prod further. “Listen, Anders likes you. I just want to make sure you realize what you
are getting into.” He dunked the first dish into the water and started wiping it down.
“Getting myself into…” Now I was confused. Who was this guy?
“You know what? Never mind. I should have never said anything.” He rinsed the plate and then stood there with it dripping into the sink.
Not wanting to just stand there, I took it from him and grabbed the dish towel on my shoulder and started drying it off. “Why are you doing this?” I asked before I could stop myself.
He stopped and then glanced over his shoulder. He’d returned to the sink and was washing the second plate. “Doing what?”
I had so many questions running through my mind, and I wasn’t sure how I was going to get any of them out. “What are you doing in Harmony? You are obviously not from here, and Anders is here for a job.” I narrowed my eyes at him. “What’s your story?”
He paused, holding my gaze before dropping his focus back to the sink. “Do I have to have a story?”
“Everyone has a story.”
He sighed, his shoulders dropping. “Mine’s not interesting. Therefore, it doesn’t deserve repeating.” He turned on the faucet and rinsed the plate.
I stepped up and took it from him, my fingers brushing his in the process. My whole body froze, and it seemed that Bash had the same reaction as his gaze drifted over to me. We stood there in silence as our gaze met.
Then he pulled his hand back at the same time I did, and the plate went crashing to the ground, breaking into shards before either of us could catch
it. Suddenly, Bash cupped his ears and bent forward as if the sound had triggered something in him.
“Bash?” I leaned forward and rested my hand on his shoulder.
His hand was on mine before I even knew what was happening. Then he was scooping me up, pulling me tight to his chest. There was a panic in his gaze that caused me to pinch my lips shut as he took a wide step over the plate and carried me around the cafe counter and hid me behind it.
I was now on the ground, and he was crouching in front of me, his gaze raking over my face and then the rest of my body.
“Are you hurt?” he asked. The panic in his voice was palpable.
“I’m fine,” I said as I stretched out my hands so he could see that I hadn’t been cut.
He looked over me, and when he glanced back at me, I could see understanding pass through his eyes. He stumbled backward and straightened as he pushed his hands through his hair, exposing a long, dark scar down the left side of his face. I only saw it for a second before his hair fell back over his face.
“I should—I should go,” he muttered as he turned and hurried to the front door.
Before I could even get a word out, he was outside and disappearing around the corner of the building.
I sat under the counter for a moment, trying to get my bearings. Whatever that had been was strange. But as much as I wanted to be uninterested in Bash—the truth was the exact opposite. I needed to know who Bash was and what the heck he was doing here.
I finally gathered my wits about me and made my way back to the kitchen to clean up the broken plate.
I was pulling cookies from the oven when my phone chimed. I set the hot cookie sheet down on the counter and pulled off my oven mitt so I could check it.
It was a text from Shelby.
Shelby: I need alcohol. Tonight? The pub?
I needed that as well, so I sent a thumbs-up followed by “8 p.m.”
I needed to check on Sabrina and Samuel. Then I was going to the pub for a girls night where I was determined to drink away my confusion toward both Anders and Bash.
