Page 26 of Someone You Deserve

We stare at each other, time nearly standing still before Tanya comes out of the back door of the bakery. “Uh, Astrid?”

Retracting my hand as if Penn’s chest just burned me, I turn to her, brushing my hair from my face and pulling my shirt back in place. “Yeah?”

“We just got an order for six dozen blueberry muffins for tomorrow.”

Penn clears his throat. “I’ll let you get back to it. I’ll bring the finished chairs inside before I leave for the day.”

“Working on your super-secret project again?”

He sighs. “I wish. Not enough time before soccer practice.”

“Thank God there’s only a few weeks left of the season, right?”

“You have no idea. I’ll be happy to get that time back, but I’ll miss it a little, too. It’s been awesome seeing the kids improve and come together as a team this season.” He flips his safety glasses back over his eyes. “Now get back to work, boss. I’ll see you later.”

A little thrill races down my spine at the name. “Thanks again, Penn.”

“My pleasure, Astrid.”

And then I walk away, back to my new responsibilities. But I swear I can feel Penn’s eyes on my ass the entire time.

***

“And what are we doodling this evening?”

Sitting in my chair, I glance up to find Grady peering at my notebook over my shoulder. It’s just after six and Bentley’s soccer practice is underway. Lilly is running around with one of the siblings of another boy on the team, and I’m head down in my notebook, sketching ideas for my new logo and making notes of what I need to do this week. I swear, I have so many lists now that I’m not sure which is the most current one.

“Oh, just sketching some ideas for a new logo. Typically, you’d have these things sorted out sooner when you’re opening a business, but I guess I’m keen on doing things backwards. It’s kind of my specialty.”

My brother takes a seat on the grass beside me, folding his knees up to rest his hands on them as he stares at the field, watching as the team listens to Penn and Dallas explain their next drill. “There’s nothing wrong with doing things backwards, sis. Just as long as you accomplish what you set out to do.”

“I’m working on it.”

He smiles at me proudly. “I know you are.”

“What are you doing out here tonight? You don’t usually come to practices.” Grady is great about attending the games on Saturdays and taking Lilly to her dance classes if I need him to, but during the week I barely see him. It’s still a huge improvement from when he was playing baseball professionally and we saw him maybe five times a year. Even though I know he wishes he could still play, I’m selfishly grateful that he’s back home.

He shoots me a look over his shoulder, his lips contorted in disgust. “Would you judge me if I said I was bored?”

Chuckling, I reply, “Bored?”

He runs a hand through his hair and shrugs, stretching out his legs in front of him now. “I’m waiting on parts for the Nova,so until those arrive, I don’t have much to do. The shop closes at five and sometimes, the last thing I want to do is work on any more side projects, you know?”

“I get it. The idea of going home and cooking after I’ve been baking all day doesn’t appeal to me at all.”

“Exactly.” His eyes drift back out toward the field. “I don’t know, Astrid. Sometimes I just feel like there’s got to be more to life than this…”

“Getting philosophical on me tonight?” I tease him.

His face is contemplative. “No, just…restless.”

God, I understand that feeling more than he knows. “What about dating? Have you given that any thought?”

His gaze turns to a glare. “Uh, no thanks.”

“Why not?”

He twists slightly to face me. “Do you know how many single women come into the garage with car trouble on a day-to-day basis?” I fold in my lips to hide my smile. He glares at me harder. “I feel like I’m fighting them off left and right these days. I mean, I haven’t played baseball in years, and they still act like I’m a fucking celebrity.”

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