by Melody Grace
“Natalie just saved my life,” Eliza announced dramatically.
Natalie laughed. “She’s exaggerating. I mean, my chocolates are good, but not that good.”
“MMnnugh, mnuhum, muh,” Summer mumbled through a mouthful. Then she swallowed. “I said, I don’t know about that. I should send some to my mom. Eve Bloom,” she explained, naming a famous TV chef. “She’s always looking to do segments on new food people.”
“Ooh, yes!” Eliza agreed, but Natalie was already shaking her head.
“It’s nice of you to offer, but I’m not really a TV person,” she said.
“Are you sure?” Summer pressed. “I know it’s a lot of hassle and drama, but the exposure could really put Coco on the map. I have people lined up at the bakery just because they saw it on the show.”
“Thanks, but no,” Natalie said firmly, trying to hide her unease.
Having her face broadcast all over the country? Oliver wasn’t the kind of guy to watch cooking shows, but who knew if one of his friends might see it? Her face, her new name, the shop . . . All exposed. She couldn’t risk it.
She couldn’t let him find her again.
“How about a toast?” Alice interrupted, changing the subject. She shot Natalie a private look of sympathy. Of everyone in the group, only Alice knew the lengths Natalie had gone to in order to leave her past behind. “To our birthday girl.”
“To Summer!” they echoed, clinking wine glasses.
“And Natalie,” Eliza added. “We’re glad to have you here in town. Even if our waistlines won’t be,” she said with a grin.
“To Natalie!” the others cheered, and Natalie felt a warm glow in her chest. She looked around the kitchen, suddenly choked up with emotion.
Because to be here, in a room full of friendly faces, in a life that was just starting to unfold . . . it had seemed unthinkable just a few months ago. Impossible to imagine.
Oliver had laughed at her dreams. He said she would never get by without him, that she could never make it on her own.
Well, here she was. And she was managing just fine.
Natalie raised her glass and smiled.
6
Luke couldn’t remember the last time he’d built shelves. Years ago, that was for sure—back before his design business had taken off and he had a waiting list a mile long for his high-end, rustic furniture. He’d since been featured in luxury magazines and commissioned by millionaires, but here he was, hammering simple planks together like he was back working a summer construction job as a teen.
And he was having a great time.
Still, he wasn’t about to jack it all in and turn back the clock, because Luke’s current contentment had more to do with who he was working with than what he was doing.
“What do you think?” Natalie asked, offering him a plate. The autumn sunlight caught in her hair, warm in the quiet of the afternoon store. “Too sweet, or just sweet enough?”
Luke obligingly tried another delicate truffle, which was just as delicious as the other dozen he’d sampled that morning. Natalie was working on new recipes for her big commission, and Luke was lucky enough—and hungry enough—to be her official taster. This one was spiced with flecks of ginger, hot and rich. “What counts as too sweet?” he asked, curious.
“Why?” Natalie’s face fell. “Don’t you like it?”
Luke chuckled. “Relax. It’s amazing. All of them are amazing.”
“I just want these gift bags to be perfect,” Natalie said, looking nervous. “It’s a huge opportunity. I checked the event online, and this gala is a really big deal. They raise money for the Children’s Hospital and all the most important society people show up. If they like the party favors, it could bring in all kinds of business.”
“They’ll love you,” Luke reassured her. “Seriously, everything I’ve tried today is world-class.”
Natalie gave a nod, like she was trying to calm herself down. “I just want everything to be perfect.”
Luke turned back to the shelves, reaching for his hammer to keep from giving her a reassuring hug. Because hugging—hell, any touching really—was strictly off limits between them now that they were going to be just friends.
Friends.
He knew some guys used it as a line, but he’d meant what he’d said. Luke wasn’t hanging around in the hopes that she’d let down her defenses and wind up kissing him again. The agonized look in Natalie’s eyes when she’d pulled away the other night had made it clear: she was still hurting, and her heart wasn’t anywhere near ready to try moving on with someone new.
Luke could respect that. He had a hundred questions about the guy who’d broken her heart so badly. Like where he could find him, for a start, so he could knock the guy out. Or how dumb a man had to be to let a woman like Natalie walk away from him. But she hadn’t mentioned it again, and so Luke didn’t, either. Instead, they’d spent the week in a companionable routine: him hammering away while she tended to customers and whipped up more delicious treats; talking and laughing easily together, like the kiss had never happened at all.
But when he turned in for bed at night? Well, then there was no forgetting the touch of her lips, hot and sweet against his. The warm curves of her body, pressing closer . . .
Luke’s hand slipped. “Owww,” he cursed, painfully catching the edge of his thumb with his hammer.
That was what he got for thinking un-friendly thoughts.
“Are you OK?” Natalie rushed over.
“Fine,” he lied, waving her away, his thumb smarting. He should try to keep some of his manly pride, at least. But she insisted on taking a look, cradling his hand between hers.
“Ouch,” she said sympathetically. “Do you want a Band-Aid? They have Snoopy on them,” she added with a smile.
“Well, if it’s Snoopy . . .” he agreed, caught up in her gaze.
Damn, she was beautiful.
Then he remembered himself and pulled away, putting a safe distance between them. “You know what? I’m good,” Luke said casually. “Hazard of the trade. You don’t want to see some of my battle scars.”
“You think you’re in a dangerous job?” Natalie asked, a teasing smile on her lips. “The boiling point of sugar is 320 degrees. It turns out ‘death by chocolate’ is truer than you know.”
“But at least you’ll die happy,” he pointed out.
“Or, you know, screaming for mercy,” Natalie shot back.
Luke chuckled, glad he wasn’t screwing up their new dynamic. Sooner or later, he had to stop being struck dumb by her smile.
Right?
“Lunch?” he asked, as his stomach let out an almighty rumble. “I could really go for some pizza.”
“After all the chocolate you’ve been eating?” Natalie looked disbelieving.
“Those were snacks!” he protested. “Tiny things. I’d need another hundred to get full.”
She laughed. “Pizza does sound good,” she agreed. “But let me go this time. You got those sandwiches yesterday.”
“Nope,” Luke insisted, putting his tools aside.
“Why not? Don’t you trust me not to get double anchovy and olives?” Natalie teased.
“First of all, gross,” Luke smirked back. “And second, you need to be here, tending to your customers.”
“What customers?” Natalie looked pointedly around the empty shop—just as someone walked through the door.
“Ha, told you.” Luke nudged her playfully as he headed for the exit. “Pepperoni, it is!”
* * *
He left her explaining the difference between caramel and crème caramel and strolled across the square. It was a breezy day, and people were out decorating the place in full fall splendor, with pumpkins and gourds on every doorstep and the shop windows all displaying enough paper turkeys to start a small farm. He even found his brother, Jackson, halfway up a ladder outside the town hall, helping string garlands of popcorn and dried cranberries across the entrance.
“I never took you
for the decorating type,” Luke said, grinning as he took in the unexpected view. “What’s next? Mom would love some help with the Christmas lights, I’m sure.”
“Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone,” Jackson warned, glaring down at him.
Luke chuckled in amusement. “Are you kidding? This is going in the group chat, for sure.” He took out his phone and snapped a couple of quick photos of Jackson with the spare garlands draped around his neck. “There, sent. Chase will have a field day with these. Maybe we could put you on our holiday card?”
Jackson scowled, as Alice emerged from the building with another box of decorations. “Luke, hi!” she greeted him with a hug. “Perfect timing. We need help decorating.”
“What’s left?” Luke asked, only half-kidding. “Every inch of this place is already smothered with holiday cheer.”
“There’s always room for more in Sweetbriar Cove,” Alice informed him, smiling. “Look, that tree over there only has two ornaments!”
“The horror!” Luke laughed. “How will you ever win Cutest Small Town in all the World now?”
Alice glanced around. “Don’t even joke about it. There’s a rumor we might lose the crown to a place in Texas this year. There’s an emergency meeting next week.”
“Wait, that’s an actual thing?” He blinked . . . until Alice’s face broke into a telltale grin.
“Nope! But I had you going there for a moment, didn’t I?”
He shook his head, chuckling. They were a long way from the city, that was for sure. The one time Jess had set out a pumpkin on their stoop, they found the next morning that someone had used it as a sick bucket.
“I’m on a pizza run right now,” he said, “but I’m happy to help out later, if you still need a hand.”
“Great,” Alice replied. “We’re trying to get everything set before the party tonight. The Fall Fling. There’s going to be music, dancing . . . It should be a fun event.”
“Maybe you could bring Natalie,” Jackson said, climbing down from the ladder.
“Natalie?” Alice’s head whipped around.
Luke coughed. “I’m just doing some work in her store,” he said vaguely, but his brother knew him too well. Jackson smirked.
“Striking out, huh?” Jackson elbowed him. “I said you were rusty.”
“It’s not like that,” Luke said. “We’re just going to be friends. Really,” he added firmly, but Jackson just grinned.
“Sure you are. And how does your friend like her pizza?”
“Ignore him.” Alice moved between them. “I think it’s great you’re making her feel welcome. As a friend.”
Luke could have sworn that Alice gave him a warning look, but before he could say anything, she gulped. “Uh-oh! Aunt June approaching, twenty paces. Save yourself!”
“What?” Luke turned, confused, but Jackson gave him a shove.
“Seriously, go now!”
Luke didn’t know what they were talking about, but his stomach was rumbling louder than ever, so he started walking away—just in time to hear the older woman greet his brother excitedly.
“Don’t tell me there’s more of you fine Kinsella boys! Such a shame he had to rush off. Is he single, do you know?”
OK, so maybe his brother had done him a favor there.
Luke swung by the pizza place and then headed back to the shop without any more distractions. He found Natalie just sending her customer out the door—with both his arms laden down with bags.
“Last-minute anniversary dinner,” she said triumphantly. “He panic-bought enough to feed a small army. What is it with men forgetting important dates? You can just program a reminder in your phone!”
“But we’d have to remember to do that, too,” Luke pointed out. He set the pizza box on the counter and grabbed a slice, demolishing it before Natalie had even reached for hers.
“Do you want a plate?” she asked, smirking. “Or, you know, a trough?”
“Hey, dinner time was all-out war in my family,” he said, inhaling another. “You had to move fast to get the good stuff.”
“And indigestion, too, by the looks of things.” Natalie nibbled at her slice, cheese stringing from her lips, and Luke tried not to stare.
Damn. The woman even looked sexy with pizza sauce dripping down her chin.
Natalie’s cellphone buzzed. She went to check the screen, and the smile immediately dropped from her lips.
“Everything OK?” he asked.
She nodded tightly. “Fine. Aunt Janine?” she answered, her voice tense in a way that Luke had never heard before.
He watched her walk to the back of the store, talking in hushed tones. He wondered what was going on. Still, Luke didn’t want to eavesdrop, so he demolished the rest of his lunch instead, leaving a couple of slices for Natalie before he got back to work. He was almost done, and, yes, he may have gone slightly overboard. Putting up a few shelves would have taken a couple of hours, max. Instead, he’d spent the week crafting a gorgeous wall display, complete with polished brass brackets and rustic stained wood.
Not bad.
Luke was just standing back, admiring his own handiwork, when Natalie re-emerged from the back. “All good?” he asked, glancing over.
She gave a quick nod. “Just . . . family stuff,” she said, but her voice seemed quiet, flattened of her usual spark.
“Well, I saved you some pizza. Showing great personal self-control, I should add,” he said, flashing a smile, but Natalie didn’t smile back.
“You have it. I’m not hungry.”
She began to wipe down the counter, looking distracted. Whatever “family stuff” she’d been discussing, it clearly wasn’t good.
“Have you seen what’s going on in the square?” Luke asked, trying to rouse a smile. “It’s like the pumpkin spice factory exploded out there.”
Natalie barely looked up.
“There’s an event tonight,” he continued. “A big party. Come with me. I’m going to need help warding off all the town gossips,” he added. “Apparently, there’s a bounty on my head.”
“I don’t know, I still have the gala to prep for . . .” Natalie seemed reluctant, but Luke was determined. She looked so tense, and he hated to think of her here, working late into the night, alone with all her thoughts.
“C’mon, take the evening off and get into the Fall Fling spirit,” he gently urged. “Who else is going to help me eat my body weight in pumpkin pie?”
“Thanksgiving isn’t for another week,” she pointed out, but there was the smallest hint of a smile on her lips.
“Exactly, I need to get into shape if I’m going to do it right.” Luke slapped his stomach. “It’s a marathon, not a sprint, and I need to start my training ASAP for the big day.”
“OK, OK!” Natalie finally cracked a smile. “I’ll see you there.”
Luke smiled back, relieved to see a glimpse of her usual self again. “You won’t regret it,” he said. “I promise, it’s going to be fun.”
Fun.
Natalie hoped Luke was right. She didn’t really feel in the mood to go out and socialize, but she didn’t want to stay in tonight, either. That phone call from her aunt weighed on her for the rest of the afternoon, so that by the time she closed up the shop and walked over to the party, she was craving a distraction. Anything to keep from replaying the conversation in her mind.
“Poor Oliver’s so worried about you,” Janine had said. “We all are. Just up and disappearing like this. Your own mother doesn’t even know where you are, how can that be right? I don’t know why you have to be so dramatic,” she’d sighed, disapproval ringing in every word. “Just let us know what city you’re in, at least.”
But Natalie wasn’t being dramatic. It broke her heart to have to keep her family at arm’s length like this—hiding her location and using a new name. But she just couldn’t risk it. All it took was one misstep, one careless remark to the wrong person, and the fresh start she’d fought so hard to build would all come crash
ing down.
She walked faster, hugging her jacket around her. She could hear the celebrations even before she rounded the corner, and found the town square temporarily transformed into an autumnal wonderland. There were decorations, a band playing, and a makeshift dance floor by the gazebo where Aunt June and Stanley were strutting their stuff. Families crowded around a fall-themed potluck buffet, and there was even a food truck selling BBQ food to a long, hungry line.
Her mouth watered at the smell, but before she made a beeline to join them, Natalie couldn’t help looking around to see if Luke was there. This wasn’t a date, she reminded herself. They were just hanging out—in a public, well-lit place—as friends.
If it was a date, she would have rushed up to her apartment first to shower and change, instead of just wearing the same sweater and jeans she’d been running around in all day. She would have styled her hair and put on makeup and generally made an effort to impress.
But it wasn’t. So she hadn’t. But when Natalie caught sight of Luke across the square, laughing with his brother, she wished she’d at least worn some mascara.
Or even a fresh shirt.
Because her stomach flipped over, right there. She couldn’t help it. He was laughing so hard he was spraying his soda everywhere, and still, somehow, he was the most handsome man around. He was wearing a thick navy jacket, and she remembered in a flash how his body had blazed against hers, warming her from the inside out.
Luke looked up and saw her in the crowd. His face lit up with a smile that melted her all over again.
Damnit.
“Just friends,” Natalie mumbled to herself, walking over. “Just. Friends.”
“What was that?” Alice materialized beside her, making her yelp.
“Oh, nothing!” Natalie said quickly, blushing. “This is all so great. What are we celebrating?”
“Thursday,” Alice replied, pulling her scarf tighter. “Or Franny’s bunion removal? I lose track.”
“You’re kidding. Aren’t you?” Natalie wasn’t even sure in a town like this.
Alice grinned. “This time. No, the mayor decided we needed something between Halloween and Thanksgiving. Because God forbid we pass three whole weeks without throwing a shindig.”