Page 76 of Meet Me in Aveline

“Yeah, you know, I was going to mention that. When are you going to retire? Teddy was just saying the other day that he didn’t retire just to work for you.”

“Oh, fiddle fart, do you see him around here anywhere?” Lenora laughed. “He comes and goes as he pleases, I don’t make him work. And I’ll retire when I can find someone to take over for me who can make a decent loaf of bread.”

“You know no one makes them quite like you,” I said as I walked toward the door.

Lenora chuckled. “That’s why I’ll be working until I’m dead!” she shouted as I stepped outside and ran into none other than Tuck Anderson.

SIXTY-THREE

TUCK

“Are you stalking me?”Lettie asked as she came out of The Baking Tin. It was seven in the morning, and I hadn’t expected to see very many people out this early on a Saturday. If you knew anything about the town of Aveline, you knew that Saturday was for sleeping in.

I raised an eyebrow. “I’m headed to Poe’s. And I could ask you the same thing. Areyoustalkingme?”

She smiled. “Maybe.”

“I’ve had worse stalkers, so I’m okay with it,” I replied teasingly.

“Not to brag, but I’m a wonderful stalker.” She flipped her hair then smiled. “What are you heading to Poe’s so early for? Don’t you know you’re supposed to sleep in on Saturdays?”

“I feel like I remember something about that. But what about you? Sneaking into Lenora’s to get some donuts before the crowd?”

She shrugged. “Can’t blame me for trying. But really, what are you up to?”

“Well the roofers are finished, and I finally have electricity and an HVAC system so I can start on the drywall. I needed to get some mud and sanding stuff.”

She nodded. “You’re pretty handy now, huh?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know if I’d say that, but there’s not much YouTube can’t teach you.”

“So true!” she replied. “How do you think I learned how to perform a dog c-section?”

I laughed, and she brought her gloved hands in front of her. “Remind me to warn Millie when the time comes for Debbie to give birth.”

“Hey now, the video I watched had over one million views. It was legit.” Lettie snickered. She paused for a moment, looking back at the bakery and then at me. “Would you want some help?”

I tilted my head. “You want to help me mud and sand my house?”

“Why not? It sounds much easier to stalk you from inside where there’s heat.” She winked, and we walked the few shops down to the hardware store.

When we got inside my house, Lettie took off her coat, and I noticed she was wearing a pair of overalls with a long-sleeved shirt under it. I must have chuckled to myself because she looked at me and crossed her arms over her chest.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

I cleared my throat. “No, nothing.”

“Spill it,” she demanded. “What’s so funny?”

I grasped the back of my neck. “It’s just, I like the way you dress now.”

She looked down and shrugged. “I realized really quickly after leaving home that being comfortable far outweighed wearing designer clothes. I don’t have one Gucci outfit in my closet.”

I gasped. “Not even one?”

She shook her head with pride. “Nope.”

“I’m impressed.”

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