Page 30 of Delicate Escape

Walter grinned and headed back to the stove. “A little bit of the good stuff never hurt anybody.”

It had been so long since I’d had a drink. Even though I’d been in Sparrow Falls for almost two years without any trouble, I still didn’t consume anything that might dull my reaction time. I couldn’t afford to.

My drug of choice was reading. The books I picked up from the secondhand store for a nickel, or the ones I checked out from the library, thanks to Sutton’s library card. The subject matter varied widely: murder mysteries, tales from other planets, and my favorite, epic romances. But I had one rule. There had to be a happy ending. There was enough hardship in the real world. I needed hope in my stories.

So, when I couldn’t sleep last night, I’d picked up a book about a grumpy, single-dad cowboy who was falling for his nanny despite his heroic efforts not to. It had kept me company until three in the morning, when I finally drifted off.

I patted Walter’s shoulder as I moved through the kitchen toward the register. “We all deserve more than a little of the good stuff.”

He grinned at me. “Damn straight, girlie.”

I chuckled as I headed behind the counter. With a quick survey, I found that Sutton was drowning. She was moving from table to table, clearing and wiping, but two other people were in line at the register.

I stepped up and smiled at a woman standing there—the same one who’d been talking with Shep the day I’d dumped icing on him. “Hi, Mara. What’ll it be?”

She smiled, the action full of warmth. Everything about her fit that persona. With golden-blond hair and cornflower blue eyes, shewas beautiful. And her delicate features and petite form created the kind of figure that made men want to protect her.

Just looking at her made me feel anythingbutthat. With my long, gangly limbs and dingy clothes, I felt like a shabby giant next to her.

“I’ll take a caramel latte with an extra shot, please. And a slice of lemon poppyseed bread.”

I nodded, selecting the items on the tablet screen. “That’ll be nine fifty.”

Mara pulled out a credit card and held it to the reader. “Thank you.”

“Of course.” I hurried to fill her order, but as I did, I caught sight of a newcomer in the bakery. Rhodes’ wild, dark hair was piled in a knot on the top of her head, and she was dressed in her Bloom T-shirt and shorts. The moment she saw me, her face brightened, and she waved.

I couldn’t help the frisson of nerves I felt as she moved to get in line. I knew she’d planned to talk to Shep and ask him to take pity on me and help with the leak. Part of me hoped he’d said no. Then, I wouldn’t have to wrestle with the beast that was my anxiety about having someone in my space.

The other part of me, the smarter bit, prayed he’d agreed. This morning, I’d had to stop at a campground for a shower. And I was currently flushing my toilets with buckets of water I’d filled in the greenhouse. I needed to find that leak and stat.

Sutton hurried behind the counter, shaking me out of my spiraling thoughts. She squeezed my arm as she passed. “I’ll do drinks. What’d she order?”

“Caramel latte, extra shot.”

“Got it.”

I hurried to hand Mara her slice of poppyseed bread. “There you go. Your drink will be up in just a second.”

I felt her gaze on me, probing. Not in a rude way, but curious. It made sense with the tail end of the fight she’d caught between Shep and me, but I didn’t like the intense focus. So, I ignored it.

“Thank you,” Mara said. Even her voice was musical and delicate.

I headed back to the register and took the order of a man who looked like he’d been hiking all morning. The fact that he ordered half the menu was more proof of that. Once he was settled, I looked at Rhodes.

She grinned at me. “Just gets busier and busier.”

I nodded, thankful no one was behind her, and I didn’t have to rush. “Tourist season is still in full swing.”

“True enough.” Rhodes glanced toward the bakery case. “Cherry Coke cupcakes. I gotta try one of those.”

One corner of my mouth kicked up. “I have to say, I was skeptical when Sutton whipped up that recipe, but they’re amazing.”

Rhodes pulled a small card wallet from her pocket. “I have no doubt. Sutton has a mad genius brain when it comes to baking.”

“I heard that,” Sutton called from the coffee machine.

Rhodes laughed. “I’ll never understand how you do it.”

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