Page 21 of A Very Merry Enemy
I trained them both last month on bakery basics, since Bethany can’t work more than twenty hours a week. Their little sister, Bristol, moved away for college or she would be here, too.
“Thanks for helping,” I offer. “Very appreciated.”
“Looking forward to it,” Bella says. “I’m doin’ recon for my coffee shop and bookstore.”
I grin. “I’ll invent special recipes for you.”
Her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Of course. I love creating new things,” I tell her, and she’s instantly giddy.
As Wendy arranges cookies in the display case, Bella keeps sneaking glances at me.
“What?” I finally ask.
“Nothing,” she says.
“Bella.”
Wendy snorts. “She’s been dying to ask you about Lucas since we got in the car.”
“Seriously!” Bella scolds. “I told you to keep your mouth shut.”
“What about Lucas?” I ask, my eyes narrowing.
Bella arranges chocolate peppermint cookies with intense focus. “The whole cookie thing yesterday. Everyone’s talking about it.”
“Of course they are.” I grab more trays from the kitchen, slamming them down harder than necessary. “It’s Merryville. People around here have nothing better to do than make up stories.”
“It’s just—” Bella exchanges a look with Wendy. “Lucas usually doesn’t do grand gestures. That’s not his style.”
I laugh and it comes out bitter. “Trust me when I say, it wasn’t a grand gesture. It was him being a vindictive asshole. He did it to hurt me, and everyone who thinks it’s romantic is delusional.”
“That’s what I said!” Wendy pipes up. “But it is kinda romantic.”
“It’s not.” I wipe down the counter with more force than needed. “He spent twenty-four hundred dollars just to piss me off. That’s psychological warfare.”
Not to mention, he chewed up my fudge brownie and then spit it out like there was something wrong with it. Dickhead!
“Potato, po-tah-to.” Bella grins, clearly not taking me seriously. “Lucas buying out an entire bakery is pretty dramatic for someone who claims to hate you. That’s a lot of money.”
I stop wiping and look at her. “He does hate me. And the feeling is more than mutual. So everyone needs to stop shipping us like we’re kids again. We’re not.”
“Does he hate you, though?” Bellapushes. “Because my cousin doesn’t have a hateful bone in his body. He’s one of the sweetest guys I know.”
Sarcastic laughter falls from my lips. “You clearly don’t know him like I do. I deal with the worst versions of his personality. And he’s made it very clear he wants me gone. Wanted me gone the moment I arrived.”
“Not convinced.” Bella pauses, and I can tell she’s debating whether to say what’s coming next. “Lucas hasn’t dated anyone seriously since your engagement was announced.”
My hand stills on the counter. “What?”
“It’s true,” Wendy confirms. “Half the women in Merryville have tried. He goes out with them for a few weeks, then dumps them. Mrs. Harold’s daughter. That teacher from the elementary school. The new veterinarian threw herself at him last Christmas.”
“Once news spread about you, he cycled through women like he was searching for something, then eventually gave up,” Bella adds. “The family jokes that he’s now married to the tree farm. This is his escape.”
That’s the real reason he hates me being here.
I force myself to focus on my task at hand, to keep my expression neutral. “Some people are better off being single.”
