Page 20 of This Moment

“I’m sorry you lost a friend.”

Lifting his head, our eyes met. “I’m not. As far as I’m concerned, he wasn’t a friend.”

“Fair enough.”

I let out a breath. “Well, I should get back up front. Katherine isn’t even supposed to be working. I think she wanted some gossip when I told her who I was making the sandwich for and who was left in the bakery.”

I winked and Kian gifted me with a beautiful smile. “Thanks for the sandwich and the drinks.”

“Sure thing.”

Turning to walk back out front, he called out, “What was your name again?”

Glancing over my shoulder, I replied, “Cadie. With a C.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Cadie, with a C.”

“Same to you, Kian.”

When I spun around and headed back to the front, I reminded myself that no matter how handsome Kian Carter was, I had no business falling for anyone.

Kian

I watched as Cadie, with a C, walked out of the kitchen and tried to ignore the way my heart seemed to beat a bit faster since she first looked at me with those eyes of hers. They were brown, but I swore they had turned golden when the sun came through the front windows.

Picking up the sandwich, I took another bite. I hadn’t bargained on seeing Jayme here. It was only the second time I’d seen her since we had broken up. The anger I once felt for her was completely gone. The only emotion I felt for her was sorrow. She had thrown herself at Billy, my once-upon-a-time best friend, and he had used her and then dumped her.

Katherine strolled back into the kitchen and took off the apron. “Well, that wasn’t at all what I expected.”

I let out a laugh. “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Kath. How have you been?”

She shrugged. “Plugging along.”

“I thought you were going to school to be a veterinarian.”

Katherine let out a long sigh. “That sucked. I quit school and came back to Moose Village. Thank goodness for Opal;she gave me a much-needed job. She’s been trying to get me to learn how to bake.”

I sat back and wiped my mouth. “I mean, you do work in a bakery, it would make sense that you should know how to bake.”

She shook her head. “I want to do something in the back end of it. I’ve been taking night classes in accounting. Opal does everything here, and I thought if I could learn how to do the books and maybe some other things, it would help ease her load a bit. I’m never going to be a baker; I know that much. I love working in the front and interacting with all the customers too.”

“Does Opal know what you’re doing?”

A wide smile grew over her cute face. She was younger than me, the same age as my brother Mark, twenty-five. “She does, and she’s super excited for me.”

Her smile faded some. “My mother and father think I’m a dropout and told me I had to move out when I returned from college. Opal lets me rent the apartment upstairs for next to nothing. She’s like a second mother to me, and I’m not sure what I would have done if it hadn’t been for her.”

“She is an amazing woman, no doubt about it,” I stated. “I’m glad she was there for you, Kath. If I can give you a piece of advice.”

Leaning against the counter, she nodded. “Please.”

“Follow your heart and do what makes you happy.”

“Did you follow your heart?”

Standing, I took the plate to the sink and started cleaning it. “No, I didn’t. But that all changed yesterday. I resigned from the firm, and I’m moving back to Moose Village permanently. It’s my turn to figure out what makes me happy.”

Katherine gave me a knowing smile. “I’m glad you followed your heart, Kian. Opal is going to be so happy to know you’re back.”

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