Page 46 of Sweet Southern Heat

Chapter 41

Landon

“I’m heading out for lunch,”I called to Murphy as I pulled my phone from my pocket. No missed calls and no messages. It wasn’t a surprise, but still my chest constricted. I longed to hear Olivia’s voice. I was desperate for even a sliver of information about what she was up to, but everyone close to her was being unwaveringly tight-lipped.

I’d wanted to reach out to her so many times since learning she'd gone back to Atlanta, but every time I opened up my texts, something stopped me. She clearly didn’t want to hear from me if she’d moved five hours away without so much as a warning that she was leaving for good.

I hopped in my truck and headed to Lunch Box Deli to grab a quick bite to eat. I’d spent all evening working on Dad’s roof and forgot to pack my lunch last night before collapsing onto my bed. At least it was done, and I didn’t have to worry about it leaking if another storm hit.

My stomach tightened in knots as I neared the bakery. It hurt to pass by it every day. I relived every moment Olivia and I shared while I worked on the renovations whenever I drovepast it. This time, it looked different. The for sale sign was gone. Someone must’ve already bought it.

Damn, that was fast.

As I passed by the building, something red and shiny caught my eye, and I slammed on my brakes. My chest heaved as I struggled to catch my breath. Surely my eyes were playing tricks on me. There, parked behind the building, was Olivia’s car.

Swinging a U-turn I drove around the front of the shop and parked near the entrance. Frantic, I hopped out of my truck and made my way to the door. I wasn’t thinking, merely operating off instinct when I pushed through the door and scanned the space for Olivia. I didn’t see her anywhere, but she had to be here. No one was at the register, so I went to the bakery case and waited for someone to come to the front. Surely they heard the bell above the door jingle.

Finally, the door leading to the kitchen swung open, and I sucked in a breath as Olivia backed through it. She turned, a tray full of cookies braced over her arms.

“Be with you in a moment,” she muttered, not sparing me a glance. She looked beautiful with her dark hair piled atop her head, a few loose strands framing her gorgeous face. She wore the same apron I saw her in every day for weeks while I worked on her shop.

She slid open the case and placed the tray on one of the shelves before closing it and wiping her hands on her apron. Her lips pursed as she blew a rogue strand of hair from her face and planted her hands on her hips. She lifted her gaze and froze. We stared at each other across the small space. Her eyes grew wide, and she drew in a sharp inhale through her nose.

“You’re here,” I stated, then shook away the shock. “I thought you left. You sold the bakery.” I took another step closer and braced my hands on the top of the glass case. She swallowed thickly and held my gaze.

“I did,” she replied, pausing for a moment to gather herself before continuing. “But I came back. And I decided to keep the bakery. I realized there was more for me here than out there. Even without you.” I winced, the pressure in my chest building as I took in her forlorn but determined expression.

“I’m sorry,” I said. It was wholly insufficient, but I was at a loss for words. She gave me a sad, resigned smile, and I fought the urge to reach for her. I wanted to pull her into my arms and kiss the look off her face.

“It’s okay. You put your family first, and I respect that.”

The bell above the door chimed, and the moment was broken. Another customer walked up behind me and waited quietly, assuming I was in line to order. I didn’t want to hold Olivia up, but I couldn’t make myself leave. I wanted to talk to her, but this wasn’t the time or the place.

“It was good seeing you,” Olivia said, the dismissal clear in her tone.

“It was good seeing you too,” I said past the lump in my throat. “I’m glad you decided to come back.” She chewed on the corner of her lip and blinked away the moisture pooling on her lashes.

“Me too,” she replied. It looked like she wanted to say more, but her gaze flashed to the person behind me, and she shuddered her expression. Without another word, I turned and left. I walked out of that bakery with my heart in my throat and vowed to do whatever it took to win her back.

Chapter 42

Olivia

I was still reelingfrom the shock of seeing Landon yesterday. For a moment, when I first saw him standing there, I hoped he was there because he missed me and wanted to talk. But he seemed just as surprised to see me as I was to see him. Then he admitted he thought I’d sold the bakery, and that hope withered and blew away like dust on the wind.

But he didn’t buy anything.

The voice in the back of my mind broke into my thoughts, but I brushed it away. He merely forgot what he came in here for when he saw me and left without making a purchase.

Still, I hoped that someday, once everything was settled with his brother and I was re-established in town, we could find our way back to each other. It wouldn’t happen right away, but I was willing to wait until the time was right.

I pulled a fresh batch of cinnamon rolls from the oven and placed them on the counter. Checking my watch, I saw it was almost time to open, so I went to the front and turned on theOpensign. It lit up, and I unlocked the door before disappearing into the back to ice the rolls while they were still warm.

It wasn’t long before the bell chimed, signaling the arrival of my first customer. Sugar & Sage opened an hour earlier now than it did during renovations. I was pleasantly surprised by the number of people who stopped by on their way to work. The morning rush kept me busy and prevented my mind from wandering. I could lose myself in my work and not think about Landon non-stop like I had been since seeing him yesterday.

Wiping the icing from my hands, I went to the front to wait on the new customer. More people filtered in, and soon there was a line. Most people wanted a coffee and pastry to start their morning, but a few were after treats to take to the office. We’d been open for about half an hour when a familiar deep voice slid over my skin like warm honey.

“Good morning.” I looked up from the register where I had just finished the previous customer's transaction and found Landon watching me, his lips tipped up in an easy grin.

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