Page 28 of Wishes on Wildflowers
“You are here for business only?” she asked sharply.
By here did she mean Bridgeview or the bistro? The wrong answer was likely to draw her wrath. “I’ve moved back to Spokane, if that’s what you’re asking.” He lookedfrom side to side, trying to indicate the café with his hands full. “I’m now a marketing consultant, and I’mhereas a consultant.”
Marietta glanced over to the table where Jasmine and Kass had both turned toward them, watching. “Mi bella,” she purred. “You are coming to my place for dinner, yes?”
Jasmine smiled at her grandmother. “Yes, but I won’t be able to stay late. I am taking care of Eden’s goat and chickens, and milking is at seven.”
Wow, when Jasmine helped out her friend, she went all the way. Milking someone else’s goat twice a day for two weeks was not a small feat. His estimation of her rose, not that it had been any danger of flat-lining.
It seemed Marietta had been distracted from him, so Nathan strolled over to a table by the front window and sat where he had a good view of the entire café. It wasn’t significant that he also had a clear line-of-sight to Jasmine. Not at all.
Hailey rang up an order of ciabatta rolls for Marietta. The old woman gave Nathan another sharp look before sweeping out the door and into the spring afternoon.
There must be some kind of warning in her words and posture. And she was right. He had no intention of hurting Jasmine ever again. He lifted his coffee cup but his hand stilled halfway up. If he had no intention of hurting her, then what on earth was he doing trying to push his way back into her affections? What on earth had he been doing kissing her? Inviting her to dance in the moonlight? What if she told Marietta what he’d done?
Hailey slid into the chair across from him, blocking his view of Jasmine. Probably just as well. She cradled her steaming mug between both hands. As she leaned closer, hereyes gleamed. “I can’t wait to see what you have for us, Nathan. I’m counting on you.”
He had to wonder if she treated all single men this way or, if for some reason, she was focusing on him. Surely she wasn’t hoping he would create a marketing plan pro bono if they were dating?
Nathan took a bite of the cinnamon roll and closed his eyes. The brown sugar melted against his tongue, leaving a spike of cinnamon in its wake. The bun itself was so soft he barely needed to chew it. Whoa. Had he ever tasted a better one in his life?
He opened his eyes and stared at Hailey. “This.” He tipped the pastry toward her. “This is amazing. If the city of Spokane heard about these and tasted them just once, you would have a lineup clear from here to downtown.”
Her blue eyes sparkled as a smile reached her face. “Why, thank you, Mr. Hamelin. They do seem to be quite popular.” She rested her forearms on the table as she leaned a little closer. “They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”
What was he supposed to do with that? He picked up his coffee and took a sip. Perfection there as well. Really, all the cousins needed to do was let word get around. Soon they’d need more staff, maybe another outlet. They could give the major chains a run for their money.
Behind Hailey, Jasmine and Kass rose. Jasmine slipped on her jacket and reached for her backpack purse, then came toward the door, tugging her long hair from behind the collar of her jacket. Her eyebrows tented as her gaze met his. What had Jasmine overheard? Did it even matter? Because he certainly hadn’t said anything to give Hailey any clues he was interested in anything other than her baking. “Good afternoon,Jasmine. How is Pansy doing today?”
“Just fine, thank you.”
Hailey’s eyebrows rose as she looked at Nathan, but he avoided her gaze. “Glad to hear it. You didn’t need to call the veterinarian, then?”
Jasmine shook her head. “No, she’s okay. She’s not bleeding anymore.”
“Well, feel free to give me a call if you need a second opinion. You’ve got my number.”
Jasmine’s eyes narrowed as she shook her head, her jaw tensing. She hurried out the door of the bistro and disappeared around the corner.
Nathan took a second bite of the cinnamon roll then swallowed. “Now, where were we? It’s five o’clock. I assume Kass will be joining us any minute?”
Hailey pinched her lips together. “She’s just locking up then she’ll be right here.”
Now why couldn’t Nathan find himself attracted to someone who was clearly available instead of someone who hated his guts?
12
“This boy.He caused many tears before, yes?” Nonna leaned into Jasmine’s personal space. “Why is he back in Bridgeview? Why is he not staying in California and breaking the heart of some other girl?”
No doubt Nathan had done plenty of that in Los Angeles. Jasmine was under no illusions about the level of purity he’d maintained after leaving Spokane. She wasn’t even sure about the level of purity he’d maintainedbeforehe left. All she knew was that when she’d told himno, he’d become more distant, soon breaking things off with her and leaving town. She might have tried to tell herself all these years that she hadn’t seen it coming, but that wasn’t exactly true. He’d wanted sex. She’d wanted marriage. And so he’d left.
Nonna tssked. “Yes, I tell you to find a good man and fall in love and get married and give me more great-grandchildren.” She wagged her finger in Jasmine’s face. “But I do mean agoodman, worthy of a Santoro. You keep praying. You keep watching. God will reward you. Mark my words.”
She’d been waiting. She’d been praying. And, still, sometimes she wondered if she shouldn’t have saidyesto Nathan way back then. It wasn’t that she thought God would turn a blind eye to her waywardness, but if she and Nathan would’ve moved in together as he wanted them to, maybe had a child or two, he would have married her sooner or later. He wouldn’t have left her. He wouldn’t have gone off to Los Angeles and got mixed up in whatever all he’d done so far from home.
Not that giving in had worked out well for Dafne, but her cousin was so young.
“It’s hard to know how to pray, Nonna. Sometimes God feels so far away, like He isn’t paying attention to my request.”
