Page 26 of Sweet Southern Heat

“It’s okay,” I rushed to assure her. “How can we keep her memory alive if we don’t talk about her?” She nodded in understanding.

“I’m going to start filling the cases,” she said before disappearing from view. It was almost time for the bakery to open, which meant Landon would be leaving soon if he wasn’t already gone. I quickly stashed the first aid kit in the cabinet and washed my hands. Looking down at my apron, I noticed a few drops of Landon’s blood. I ripped it over my head and poured some peroxide over the spots before rinsing it. Most of the blood was gone, but I’d still have to wash it. Balling it up in my hands, I emerged from the bathroom. Landon was no longer working, and all his tools were packed away. I went through the door into the kitchen, hoping to catch him before he left, but there was no sign of him. I wasn’t sure what I’d planned to say, but that moment in the bathroom warranted … something. Yet he left without saying a word.

And for some reason, that hurt more than it should.

The next day was uneventful with no injuries or awkward encounters. Landon was already working when I arrived, and I didn’t want to disturb him, so I didn’t see him until he was ready to leave. I was loading up trays of pastries to put in the case when he entered the kitchen, halting next to my worktable. I glanced up and found him watching me expectantly. A momentary silence stretched between us.

“All done?” I asked, attempting to break the awkward tension.

“Yeah, uh, I just wanted to tell you, I’m almost finished. I should be out of your hair within the next couple days.”

That was what I wanted, wasn't it? For him to finish the renovations and get the hell out of my bakery. Then why did it feel like I was losing a friend? So we’d shared a kiss. Big deal.I'd tended to his injury when he was hurt. Anyone would have done the same. It meant nothing. We were barely more than acquaintances, despite our shared history. The thought of no longer seeing his grumpy face every morning should fill me with joy; instead, a longing ache settled in my chest. I shoved down the rising emotion and forced myself to smile.

“That’s great,” I replied, a little too cheerily. An unreadable expression flashed in his eyes, too quickly for me to decipher, before he nodded and headed for the door.

That night, as though the atmosphere sensed my turmoil, a storm raged, dumping buckets of rain from the sky. Hurricane-force winds tore through town, leaving trees strewn across the road. Thankfully, no one got hurt, but my bakery didn’t fare so well.

Chapter 25

Landon

This past weekwas an absolute shit show. First, I kissed the woman I’d hated for the past six years. The thing was, I no longer hated her. Now that I had her side of the story, my feelings for her had changed. Dramatically. Then, because I couldn’t get my head on straight and stop thinking about said kiss, I made a rookie mistake while working and smashed my thumb with a hammer. And when Olivia helped patch me up, I almost kissed her again. If her employee hadn’t walked in when she did, I probably would’ve done more than kiss her in that tiny bathroom. And the topping on this shit show cake was the damaged roof on Olivia’s bakery. It caused a water leak that damaged a patch of newly finished drywall.

It put me out of work for the morning as we waited for the insurance adjuster to inspect the damage. By that afternoon, they’d completed their assessment, and since he was a good friend of the Sullivans, he gave Dean the go-ahead to start on repairs. The job that should’ve been wrapped with a couple hours of work was now going to require me to spend my mornings and evenings at the bakery for the rest of the week and may even spill over into next week.

I could’ve said no. Dean could’ve thrown a tarp over the damaged area of the roof and waited for a crew to get freed up. That would’ve halted progress on the reno since it was too risky to repair the damaged drywall before the roof was fixed, but I was ready to be done with this project. Plus, I never turned down work. So, although I grumbled and groaned as I worked until the sun went down the next two days, I had no one to blame but myself. When I left out of there Friday night, the job was nearly done. If I was lucky, I’d only need a day or two to wrap things up, then I’d never have to step foot in that bakery again, which was a good thing. I needed to get some distance from Olivia to get my head on straight. I couldn’t think clearly with her around. Thankfully, she wasn’t around while I repaired the roof with the help of one of Dean’s guys. The bakery had to be closed for a few days for the repairs, so there was no need for her to be there.

I hated that I’d missed seeing her smiling face first thing every morning, the dimples in her cheeks a sign of her genuine happiness. I knew what her forced smile looked like, and I hated seeing it. Her dimples barely creased, and the skin around her eyes pulled tight.

Fuck, I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about her even as I headed out to hang with friends. I had my inner tube secured in the bed of my truck with a ratchet strap and a cooler full of beer on the floorboard. It was hard to say how many hours I’d worked this week, but I was certain I’d earned a little rest and relaxation this weekend.

I pulled up next to JD’s truck and hopped out. There was a group of people already gathered around the water’s edge, dressed in swimsuits and board shorts, floats in hand. Noticing my approach, JD turned and broke away from the crowd to greet me.

“Hey, man, glad you could make it.” He took my hand and pulled me into a half hug.

“I wouldn’t miss it. I need this after the week I’ve had,” I admitted. The sound of an approaching engine sounded from behind me, and JD peered over my shoulder.

“Looks like you made it just in time. There’s the courier to take our bags up to the lake.” I eyed JD quizzically, unsure what he meant. “You did bring a bag with you, didn’t you?”

“I brought a change of clothes,” I replied, still confused.

“That’s all you brought?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“I just thought you’d at least bring a toothbrush to stay overnight,” he said with a shrug.

“What do you meanstay overnight? I thought we were just gonna float down the river, do a little day drinking, then come back.” I didn’t sign up for an overnight trip, and I was woefully unprepared. JD chuckled and clamped a hand over my shoulder.

“You must not have seen my last text. We’re staying on the lake tonight.” I winced. He was probably right. I’d been exhausted when I got the message asking if I wanted to join him today. Once I tapped out my hasty reply and hit send, I must’ve fallen asleep and missed his reply. “Is that going to be a problem?”

“No, it’s fine. I have nothing else going on.”

“Good,” he replied with a grin, throwing an arm over my shoulder and turning me toward the crowd. There was a decent sized group of people lingering at the water’s edge, three guys and five girls. I scanned the crowd to see who was present. My gaze connected with wide brown eyes. Whatever she was saying fell away as she registered my presence. She blinked a few times as though trying to clear her vision, her mouth falling open in surprise.

Shit, not this again.

“Landon,” Olivia said, her voice breathy as though she’d inhaled my name and held it inside her before letting it out on a long breath.

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