Page 25 of Gentle Fox

Two morningsin a row now I’d woken up wrapped around Owen like I was clinging to him for my survival. After our conversation last night about work, the rest of the evening was uneventful. We ate dinner, I insisted I cleaned up since he did the cooking, and then we went our separate ways until bed. I quickly learned that Owen was a lover of romance books and had a nice collection of paperbacks tucked away in his office. He let me borrow one and I read up until it was time for bed.

Just like the first night, I started out practically hanging off the bed, but at some point, my body decided it liked cuddling with him better.

One thing was different today though. I didn't freak out and knee him. I didn't get tangled up in the sheets. I rememberedto both lock the door and grab a towel before jumping in the shower, which I even managed to accomplish in a normal amount of time.

Progress.

I could handle days like today when they started out smoothly.

Even my morning at the office didn't have a single hiccup. Sure, I was still sorting out Maverick's messes but I knew that was going to be the case. He wasn't shy about telling me how badly he sucked when it came to paperwork. Knowing what I was getting into made the frustration that much less.

But now it was lunchtime and nothing was going to keep me from walking down to Wickedly Delicious and seeing what other goodies she had to offer.

I knew the second I walked in this was going to be my home away from home. It wasn't October but the entire place was decked out in Halloween decorations.

Actually, no, that wasn't right. It wasn't decked out, that was just the theme of the place.

The dark tones should've made the bakery feel less welcoming but it had the opposite effect. The smell brought someone in, but the warmth of the place was why people stayed.

"Welcome to Wickedly Delicious, you must be Annalee. What can I get for you?"

I laughed. "Nothing gets by people in this town, does it?"

"Ha." The woman actually said the word. "As someone who was the newbie once upon a time, I can tell you for certain, everyone already knows who you are. I have to give Bee credit, she described you perfectly and that's saying something because I'm pretty sure her eyesight is starting to go."

I perused the dessert selection while continuing our conversation.

"How long did it take for everyone to stop making a big deal about it?"

I didn't mind because everyone was so nice, but it would get old quick. I was naturally a private person, and while I had a lot of acquaintances over the years, making friends wasn't something that came easily to me.

"It's like high school. They will stop when someone new comes to town or they have something better to gossip about."

Great. From what Owen said, new people in town weren’t a common occurrence, so that was off the table. At least until Gracie showed up. Maybe someone would do something outrageous and take the heat off me.

"So, tell me what's good. I had your chocolate chip cookies yesterday and they melted in my mouth. Kati raves about this place and I couldn't wait to check it out myself."

"Kati's fabulous and I swear she's one of my best customers. But asking me what's good is like asking me to pick a favorite child. I can't do it."

I laughed. "Fair enough. Okay, how about you tell me what people love the most."

"That would be my coffee cake. It's won me several awards over the years."

Well, that settled it.

"I'll take two pieces of that, please."

I looked at the other desserts in the showcase and picked a few that I wanted to try the next time I came in. I could tell already this place was going to be horrible for my waistline. It didn't matter how good my genetics were, nothing but exercise was going to combat all the calories I planned to eat.

Fortunately, the place I planned to rent was two streets over. I would get some exercise walking to and from work on a daily basis. There was also a nice park the next street over with a short walking trail. According to the town website, there was even agroup who walked it daily. I doubted it would fit into my new schedule but during the weekend was always a good possibility.

"Here you go."

Maisie placed the brown bag on the counter with her logo front and center. It was nice to see a bakery without all the frill for once. The knife and skull on the cake were a nice touch. I would never have thought to pair them with a bakery but it was clear the designer knew what they were doing.

"Thank you. I'm sure I'll be stopping in again soon."

The smile on Maisie's face slipped away and a guarded look took its place. I turned around to see what could have caused the sudden change in her attitude. Hendrix walked through the door with the same cocky smirk on his face that had been present when I met him briefly the day before.

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