Page 45 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

She glanced over. “I know.”

They sat in silence for a few beats. Just as he was debating reaching across to hug her, she opened the door.

She got out and dipped her head down, eyes solemn. “I hope you find what you’re looking for.”

He swallowed, hoping like hell he’d done the right thing tonight. “I hope we both do.”

Chapter Fourteen

Elliott

Elliott withdrew to Lincoln and worked from her laptop in her parents’ backyard over the weekend, wanting to be as far from her apartment as possible.

Under no circumstances did she want to run into Jamie.

Not thinking about it was a different story, especially because she spent most of her time working on designs for Melt My Tart. She’d get in a groove with colors and lettering for a few hours, then something would trip a wire in her memory and there she was, standing in that cooking class with Jamie, warm and smiling as they joked about narwhals.

Which inevitably fast-forwarded her memory to what Tiffany announced and what Jamie must be thinking of her now. Was he weirded out? Did he think she was a stalker? Worse, would he want to talk to her about it?

Tiffany had texted the next day, apologizing for divulging Elliott’s personal business that night, and asked if it was the reason Elliott had disappeared. There was no point in making Tiffany feel bad, especially because if Jamie wasn’t Carly’s boyfriend and they weren’t in this situation, Elliott might have appreciated a coordinated effort to locate himon her behalf. So she’d assured Tiffany all was good, she’d just felt off and gone home.

Monday afternoon, Elliott drove back to Omaha and made her way to Old Market for a meeting with Blythe to review design ideas. She’d mocked up a few home-page options she was considering for the website and a basic draft of changes she recommended for the menu. She’d probably gone a little overboard for a client who hadn’t officially signed on, but not only did Elliott enjoy doing it, she didn’t have much in her portfolio yet. She wanted to show Blythe exactly what she could do.

She slung her camera over her shoulder as she got out of the car, wanting to be prepared if Blythe wanted to move forward and she could take a few fresh shots of the bakery for the website.

Blythe was nowhere to be seen when Elliott walked in, and a young, smiling woman stood behind the counter instead.

“Welcome in,” the woman greeted.

Elliott approached the counter, shifting her laptop under her arm. “Hi. I’m here for Blythe?”

“Sure, hang on a sec.” The woman disappeared into the back briefly, then returned with Blythe on her heels.

“Hey, Elliott,” Blythe said warmly. “Okay if we sit out here? There’s a desk in the back, but it’s pretty cramped.”

“Sure.”

She paused at the pastry case. “Can I get you anything?” Waggled her eyebrows. “On the house.”

“Oh, that’s so nice—but no, thank you. I’m not a big sweets person.”

Blythe blinked. “Not even a chocolate chip cookie? Not to toot my own horn, but they’re the best in the whole entire world. No wait—the universe.”

Elliott laughed. “That’s so nice, but I’ll pass. I don’t care for chocolate.”

Blythe just stared at her.

“You don’t likechocolate?” The other employee sputtered.

“Don’t worry—I make up for it in other ways. I could probably eat a whole block of cheese or a gallon of buttered popcorn by myself.”

Blythe snorted good-naturedly and continued to a table. “So could I, but I’d finish it off with a brownie.”

“Most people would,” Elliott agreed and sat across from her. “Before we get started, I wanted to thank you for mentioning me to your friend Jackie. She reached out about help with her logo.”

“Oh, sure.” Blythe winced. “But we’ll see if you’re thanking me after you work with her. I figured since you’re just starting out you’d want any and all business—I’ve been there—but she can be a little ... picky.”

Elliott couldn’t afford to be choosy right now. “If I made it through working with my parents in one piece, I can handle anything.”

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