Page 69 of If You Were Mine
“I was just on my way to the town hall to finish getting everything set up for the dance tonight. Your Mr. Cage will be there with you, right? The town’s tongues are wagging, girl. I mean, catching a Cage? You are a legend.”
The heat of my cheeks burned, and I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s called catching. Dorian’s just Dorian.” I shrugged, as I set the loaf out to prove. My team would finish up everything tonight, since I had started far too early to get everything set up. I wanted a little extra time to get ready for the dance, since I was going with a date for the first time. Though now I regretted getting up so early because I was exhausted. My lungs ached, and my hands shook. I needed to take better care of myself, but taking that time off to go with Dorian, and then coming back and catching up on all of our bonus orders, meant sleep and taking care of myself had taken a backseat. I would do that later. After the dance.
“Are you okay, darling? You look a bit pale.”
“I’m fine. Just getting ready to close everything up. Was there something you needed, Ms. Patty?”
“I was just walking by and saw the door open. I know you keep it open even in winter sometimes to let the steam out. You’re doing such a great job. Your brother would be proud of you. Your parents too.” Her eyes filled, but her lips still pressed together in a thin line. She didn’t know the exact story of my grandparents and why I had come back so different. But she could probably have guessed. After all, she had known and loved my parents. And had also known we hadn’t had a relationship with my grandparents until it was too late.
These were the small town things that kept me on the fence. They were who I am. Because while she knew those things, I knew small tidbits about her. About her favorite pastry, or how she always started the pay-it-forward. No matter what she was feeling that day, she would make sure that someone else would be able to have a coffee or pastry even if they couldn’t quite afford it. She might love gossip, but she loved people. And she was a good person.
What would I do in Denver? I loved this town.
But I loved Dorian too.
“Well, I hope I’ll see you and your man tonight. It’ll be good to have a Cage at the dance. God knows getting Hudson underneath those rafters is like pulling teeth.”
That made me laugh. “I really don’t think getting him to a dance is ever going to happen. We could probably drag him, but he’s kind of strong.”
“That he is. But all those Cages seem to be strong.” She wiggled her brows, and I held back a laugh.
“I won’t ask you for details, just know that I’m proud of you. For many things.” She wiggled her brows again, and I couldn’t help it. I threw my head back and laughed.
“You’re a menace, Ms. Patty.”
“So, Mr. Mayor tells me. Now you go get ready as soon as you can. Though you already look gorgeous. I should be annoyed with how beautiful you look covered in flour. But you’ve always been gorgeous, darling. And I don’t know if you heard, but Isabella and Weston won’t be able to make it tonight.”
My face fell. “What?” I pulled out my phone, then held back a curse when I realized I just covered it in flour. Indeed, my group chat had exploded.
“Everything’s fine, but they had a minor fender bender. And while Weston will fix it, it’s better for them not to chance it with any possible icy roads tonight as a storm’s coming in. So, that’s one fewer Cage I’m going to see. They’re safe though. I’m sure you’ll be able to check your chat.”
She said her goodbyes, and I quickly washed my hands, my phone, and then texted to make sure everybody was okay.
If something had truly happened, I knew Dorian would show up and tell me in person. That’s what he did. He took care of me.
Of course, that just reminded me of Hudson walking into the bakery, showing up to tell me about the accident.
I let out a shuddering breath. Dorian was fine. He was healing.
And I would miss my brother until my dying days.
But wallowing to the point where I couldn’t breathe only made my chest ache more. And considering how hard it was to breathe at this moment, I couldn’t afford any other issues.
I quickly cleaned up and made sure my team was ready to close. We’d be closing in half an hour anyway, and all of the baked goods I had made were either for the party tonight, or sweet doughs that needed to prove overnight.
I loved the fact that the team members that I was slowly adding on could take more responsibilities, and maybe I didn’t need to work sixty to eighty hours a week. I’d done so the past year so I wouldn’t focus on the real world, but now I wanted as much time as I could have with Dorian.
Before he had to go back to his real world.
And my world crashed.
I shook myself out of that thought and quickly ran upstairs. Lucky was inside, as he had spent the morning at doggie daycare, and then the last couple of hours in the apartment.
“Okay, big boy, time to go for a walk, and then I’m leaving you for only a little while. I miss you already.”
He gave me a look that told me he didn’t quite believe me, but we went on his walk, while I once again ignored the pains in my chest. It was just a little too cold out, and I was overreacting about any twinges these days.
I showered quickly, fed Lucky, and then did my best to get ready as fast as possible. I was meeting the girls at the dance, and I was excited.
