Page 9 of Love in the Net
“Oh, no, I couldn’t?—”
“Of course you could,” he says, already moving to grab a jacket from Chase’s porch. “Come on, Bear, Scout. Let’s go.”
“Have fun,” Chase calls as Liam stoops to pick up Waffles’s leash in one hand and catches mine in his other. As I walk down this neighborhood street with Liam and three dogs, it feels so homey. So quaint. So small-town perfect.
Back at the bakery, Liam rolls up his sleeves and looks around my bakery. “Tell me what to do,” he says.
“Okay.” I take a deep breath. “I’m going to mix up some new pumpkin dough, and you can stamp it out with the ghost cutter.”
He picks it up, his eyebrows raised. “Doesn’t seem very doggy.”
“It’s called a Pumpkin Howl-a-Ween Bite,” I say. “It’s for this weekend’s fundraiser for the shelter. They’re doing a ton of events in November, to get people to take their animals for the holidays.”
I put together the pumpkin, oats, eggs, and natural grain quickly and roll it out for Liam. He expertly stamps out the ghosts, and I slide them onto yet another tray.
“You’re a natural,” I say, unable to hide my smile.
“Don’t let the guys hear you say that,” he jokes. “They’ll never let me live it down.”
We get a whole tray done, and I slide them into the oven. “Okay, fifteen minutes.” And I’m not going to space out this time and miss the timer going off. I set it and look at him.
“Who runs the store while you bake?” he asks.
“I’ve got an employee,” I say as he steps into my personal space and brings me close. “Her name is Katie-Jo.”
“Does she come back here?”
“Not usually.”
“Mm, good.” He leans down and kisses me, and there’s no way I’m going to hear any beeping, ever. Not with his lips on mine.
Waffles barks, startling me, and that’s when I realize there are other sounds happening around me too.
“That’s my phone,” Liam mutters as he swipes it off the stainless steel counter where we just made dog biscuits. He glances at the screen and frowns. “Sorry, I have to take this.”
I try not to eavesdrop, but his voice carries as he walks away, low and serious. Something about a meeting being moved up, an earlier departure time.
When he returns, his expression is apologetic. “I have to go,” he says, his tone laced with regret. “Last-minute team meeting.”
“It’s okay,” I say quickly, forcing a smile. “I get it. Hockey stuff.”
He gathers me close and kisses me again. “I’ll call you.”
I nod, but as he gathers his things and says goodbye, a familiar pang of doubt creeps in.
Am I really ready for this? To be with someone who’s constantly on the move, whose life is so different from mine?
As the door closes behind him, I’m left alone with the sound of the oven timer and the weight of my own insecurities.
But hey, I didn’t burn the Pumpkin Howl-a-Ween Bites this time and I got to kiss Liam today, so the day’s not a total loss.
I just wonder when I’ll see him again, as he hasn’t said when he’s leaving or how long he’ll be gone.
5
The quiet humof the bakery after closing is usually my favorite part of the day. It’s a moment to breathe, to let the chaos settle, to feel proud of what I’ve built. Tonight, though, the silence feels heavy. The shadows stretch long across the polished counters, and the faint scent of peanut butter and pumpkin lingers in the air, reminding me of all the treats I still need to make for this weekend’s fundraiser.
I wipe down the last tray with slow, deliberate movements, trying not to let my mind wander. But, of course, it does. To Liam. To his sudden departure yesterday. To the way he kissed me like he didn’t want to leave, but left anyway.
