Page 60 of Second Chance for Mr. Alden

I threw the towel around my neck. This was the most excited I’d seen her in the four days we’d been in Rhode Island. I leaned against the door jamb of our small bathroom as she crowded closer to me. “Fine, I’ll consider going if you tell me how you found out about it.”

Jess crossed her arms under her chest. “Why does if fucking matter, Alden? It’s a bakery for crying out loud. I doubt my stalker has decided to stock up on Rhode Island muffins.”

She sounded awfully defensive. Interesting. I took a closer look at her. She was staring at a spot just above my head, not my eyes. Which told me I wouldn’t like however it was she found out.

I stayed silent, waiting to see what she’d say.

“It’s not far from here.” She offered.

“Did we get an invite?” Jess didn’t have a phone. We had the two burner phones and used them sparingly.

“Yes.” She looked pleased with her answer, smug almost, like she’d gotten one over on me.

“In the mail?” I asked, prompting her. She was hedging, which meant I only needed to dig a little deeper to find the truth.

“I don’t see why it matters.” She gave me a bright smile and batted her eyelashes. “Alden, they have the best cupcakes. You love cupcakes.”

I held in the laughter that bubbled up at her less than subtle antics. “I do love cupcakes.” I didn’t eat a lot of sweets, but cupcakes were a weakness of mine.

“See, then we should go. They have every kind in mini today for customers to try.” She kept up her big grin, like mini cupcakes would make me forget she was manipulating me.

I needed her to tell me the truth. Without conscious thought, I reached out and brushed the back of my hand down her arm, igniting sparks throughout my body.

Her quiet gasp told me she felt it too.

“Jess, why is it so important we go there?” My voice came out harsher than I intended.

She bit her lip. “I want to get out. And Ruby’s really nice, Alden. I want to be there for her grand opening. I’ll be quiet and stand off to the side. If it’s too busy, we don’t have to stay long.”

So she knew the owner's name. “How do you know Ruby?”

She pursed her lips and tapped her foot, clearly not able to keep the truth in, and frustrated at herself for it. “We met at the marketplace. She mentioned she was opening a bakery in Rhode Island. I’ve been following her social media posts and today is the big day.”

I narrowed my eyes. “How exactly have you been following her social media?”

She winced. “Not as me. I swear, Alden.”

I took in a deep breath, trying to calm down the anger threatening to emerge. “How then?”

“You know your morning runs?” She paused. “I’ve been having coffee with Greta on their porch. She’s up before Paul and she likes having company. So we hang out and she lets me check on my social media stuff through her profiles.”

I rubbed at my forehead already feeling a headache forming. “Jess, you need to be careful.”

“I am. No one’s going to know it’s me. I don’t even comment on stuff.”

Greta and Paul, the couple from the house in front of us, had been discreet. They came by a few times to ask if we needed anything, but other than that, they left us alone. This was the first time I’d heard that Jess had made a new friend.

“That’s good at least,” I responded.

“I’ve been really careful.” Jess smiled at me. “And I’ve given a lot of thought to how we can go out and still stay hidden.”

Jess having a plan wasn’t all that surprising. “Have you?”

She nodded her head so fast I thought it might fly off. “So, Greta and Paul said we could borrow a bunch of their clothes. It’ll be great. No one would recognize us in their stuff.” She started pacing, using her arms as she spoke. The excitement was practically rolling off of her in waves.

“Is that so?” I loved seeing her so excited.

“We can wear hats, and sunglasses. Celebrities do it all the time. Jaxon’s friend, you know the actor, Lincoln Erickson? He did that when he first came to Rhode Island, and he was hardly recognized. I’m not eventhatfamous. And even if someone was looking for us in Rhode Island they would have to be in the exact same spot as us at the exact same time. What are the chances?”

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