She craved to hear that sound and know it was her who caused it. At that moment, however, the cheery sound only reminded her of the frustration in his voice the night before. She had been the cause of that sound.
She shook her head, hoping to shake the sad thoughts into the back of her mind. Cohen and Bryce looked as though they were having a good time. So was the guest of honor, silver-haired Helen O’Connor, who was perched atop a black folding chair near the front counter, dressed in her Sunday best, watching the entire spectacle with a gleam in her eyes and a paper cup of coffee in her hand. That was what mattered most right now. This wasn’t about Paige, and it wasn’t about Cohen. And it certainly wasn’t about Paige and Cohen.
One of the five tables that had been set up earlier in the morning was completely empty forty-five minutes into the fundraiser. By the time there was only one hour left of the event, all the remaining cupcakes had been shuffled over to one table. Cohen helped to fold down the empty tables to make room for the people still trickling in off the sidewalk. He bumped into Paige while trying to put the table up against the wall out of the way.
‘Sorry.’ He glanced up, surprise on his face. ‘Oh, hey.’ He obviously hadn’t expected her to be the one behind him. ‘This is going well, huh?’
‘Better than I ever expected,’ she admitted, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. ‘Port Landon has really outdone themselves in the name of Helen O’Connor.’
‘So did you.’ He offered her a crooked grin. ‘You did a good thing here, Paige. You should be proud of yourself.’
Something more than pride swelled inside her. ‘You, too. I couldn’t have done it without you, you know. And Bryce, too.’
Cohen’s eyes burned into hers. She didn’t know what she expected him to say or do, but when he pulled his gaze away and stepped away from her, taking the heat that emanated from his body with him, she felt foolish for thinking they would simply apologize and pretend like nothing had happened. ‘I should go,’ he said. ‘I’ve got to announce the silent auction winners.’
‘Of course.’ She waved a hand, but he had already retreated toward the table, picking up a conversation with someone he knew like he’d never left it in the first place.
After that, Paige buried herself completely in the task at hand. She was bound and determined to make every last one of the cupcakes disappear. She listened with only partial attention as Cohen’s loud, booming voice echoed above the constant hum of chatter, silencing everyone.
‘As you all know, this event is to help out one of our own.’ He turned to share a dazzling smile with Helen, who looked as though she was about to be charmed right off her chair. ‘Mrs O’Connor, it was a tragic thing that happened to your house, ma’am, but be sure that Port Landon has every intention of helping you rebuild what you lost.’
Cheers erupted throughout the crowd, accompanied by clapping and a few shrill whistles.
‘We can’t replace some things,’ Cohen continued, ‘But we’ll sure try to help you start anew.’
More cheering and clapping ensued, making Paige smile widely.
‘Of course, this event wouldn’t be possible today without the generous efforts of a few key players. A huge thank you goes out to all the local businesses who donated items to the silent auction.’
Everyone clapped, and one bold man shouted out, ‘Tell us who won the prizes, Dr Cohen!’, resulting in a fit of laughter amongst the crowd.
Cohen chuckled. ‘We’ll get to that, Todd. Hold your horses, will you?’ He waved a hand toward Paige, who stood across the crowded room from him. ‘But first, we must give credit where credit is due. A special thanks needs to go out to the baker extraordinaire, Paige Henley, who not only spearheaded this colorful, sugary event, but also slaved over the ovens tirelessly for the past few weeks to make every one of the tasty treats you’ve purchased today. So, Paige, on behalf of all of Port Landon, I’d like to thank you for your endless generosity.’
Allison let out a whoop beside her, and Paige blushed bright red as the applause rang out for her. Through the throngs of people, she could just make out Helen O’Connor peering at her. The old woman nodded her head and mouthed, ‘Thank you,’ which brought tears to Paige’s eyes. The moment was in her honor, but all she could think of was Cohen, whose eyes were fixed on hers twenty feet away. He didn’t have to do that, didn’t have to put her on a pedestal and thank her publicly.
But he did. There was that hope again, swirling up inside her stomach and making it hard for her to breathe. They may have argued about something, but it was passing. Things were going to be okay. Surely, he wouldn’t have made such a heartfelt announcement in front of half the town if it wasn’t? She was certain he knew just as well as she did that the gossipmongers would end up making more of it than it truly was.
And he had done it anyway.
It was Paige’s turn to say, ‘Thank you,’ to Cohen, but it came out as only a whisper in the chaos of the crowd. Still, Cohen gave her a soft nod. He might not have heard the words, but he knew she’d said them. Maybe he felt them, as she did. The softness in his hazel eyes confirmed he knew she meant them, too.
The rollicking laughter and banter that followed as Cohen and Bryce announced the winners’ names of the silent auction items was so comical it brought tears to Paige’s eyes. One by one, the winners were called, and each announcement ended in some kind of anecdote or story that would be later embellished and discussed by the town. It wasn’t just the colorful cupcakes and chance at winning prizes that people were enjoying – it was the camaraderie. The intricate way every person was knitted to the next. Everyone knew everyone to some degree, and the event brought them together to chit-chat and enjoy each other’s company. The baked goodies were just a plus, Paige decided.
To see so many people come together for an event in the name of one elderly woman was beautiful to Paige. The folks who filed through the doorway weren’t there to buy cupcakes, though they would gladly take a box home. They were there to help out Helen. Because Helen O’Connor wasn’t merely a woman. She was one of them. A neighbor, a friend, and a part of their home. Judging by the way Helen’s eyes scanned the crowd, rimmed with tears, taking in her surroundings with a keenness that belied her advanced age, she was taking mental inventory of each and every person who attended. She would attempt to return the favor, no doubt. It was the Port Landon way.
By the time the last of the attendees left the shopfront, Paige was dead on her feet. Any other day she could work eight or more hours without batting an eyelash. Today, she’d run a marathon in the course of four hours. She flipped the lock on the door, locking herself, Allison, Bryce, and Cohen in the room to clean up and count the money raised by their efforts.
‘That was a phenomenal success, I’d say.’ Allison pulled the cashbox off the last remaining table and set herself up on a stool by the front counter to start counting. ‘I haven’t counted yet, but it’s safe to say we made a big chunk of money for Helen.’
‘I hope so,’ Paige replied, setting the folded chairs up against the wall. ‘The woman is a sweetheart. She deserves every penny. Cohen, you have the silent auction proceeds?’
‘Counting them now.’ He opened the cashbox at the other end of the counter and started counting it out.
Paige had done rough calculations. She knew with three hundred cupcakes at two dollars a piece, there should be a smooth six hundred dollars in the cashbox. She and Allison had managed to keep track of the community members who offered cash donations over and above the cupcake sales, so they’d kept that money separate from the cupcake proceeds. Paige was still wiping down the tabletops and changing out the trash bin bags when Allison spoke.
‘We sold all the cupcakes, right?’
‘Every one of them,’ Paige answered. ‘Which is pretty freaking cool, by the way.’ She was damn proud of that fact. Not only had the event itself been a success, but her baking had been well received as well.
‘It is,’ her cousin said absen
tly. ‘How are you making out over there, Dr Cohen?’
Paige turned away from the trash bag she was tying up. She heard the distance in Allison’s voice.
‘All good here.’ Cohen pressed a few more numbers into the calculator app on his phone, smiled to himself, then wrote down the final tally on the bottom of the sheet of paper in front of him and circled it. ‘Everything adds up perfectly for the silent auction. We raised five hundred and sixty-four dollars. Every penny accounted for.’
‘Whoa, that’s awesome!’ Bryce exclaimed, peeking over his father’s shoulder to see the written number. He high-fived Cohen, a wide grin on his face.
‘It’s more than awesome,’ Cohen insisted. ‘It’s phenomenal. Did everything add up on your end, Allison?’
Allison’s forehead was wrinkled in concentration. She tapped numbers into the calculator again. ‘We sold every cupcake at full price, right? Two dollars?’
‘Yes,’ Paige replied.
‘And your pre-calculations are correct?’
‘Of course.’ She had checked them numerous times to make sure. She knew exactly how much they had started with before the event began.
‘Then, we’re out by … fifty dollars.’ Allison raised her head to give Paige a confused look.
‘That’s impossible.’ The words were out of Paige’s mouth before she could stop them. ‘We were so careful.’ She slipped in beside her cousin and Allison pushed the calculator toward her, letting her recheck the tally. Sure enough, her final numbers mirrored Allison’s. Her head swam as she tried to think back throughout the day. She glanced past her cousin to Cohen. ‘Any ideas where it might have gone?’
She realized her mistake the moment the words tumbled from her lips. She had meant the question so innocently, but a second later when Cohen’s gaze narrowed and darkened, she knew how he was interpreting her inquiry.
‘None, actually,’ he replied, tight-lipped. ‘But if you’re suggesting what I think you’re suggesting, you should be ashamed of yourself.’
Paige felt the blood drain from her face. Bryce was the furthest thing from her mind when she had asked him about the missing money. He had been at the forefront of Cohen’s, though. ‘What? No, Cohen, I—’
‘Go on, Bryce.’ Cohen stood, nodding toward the door. He placed a firm hand on his son’s back and led him toward it. ‘We’ve done our part. Looks like it’s time to be heading home.’
‘Cohen, just wait.’ Paige sounded as exasperated as she felt. ‘That’s not what I asked, and you know it.’
He pointed toward the door, giving Bryce no room to argue with his stance. The boy obeyed silently, giving Paige and Allison a little wave before unlocking the door and disappearing out onto the street. Cohen pulled his backpack up over his shoulder, then leaned in closer to Paige. ‘You didn’t have to ask, Paige. I know what you meant.’ His chiseled features may as well have been stone, his gaze made of steel. He pushed the cashbox from the silent auction closer to her. ‘You’d better keep that wad of cash, too. I wouldn’t want Bryce accused of anything else.’
‘Cohen, I didn’t mean—’
‘Congrats on today, ladies.’ He nodded toward Allison before making his way out of the store, leaving the bell chiming shrilly in his wake.
Both Paige and her cousin stared at the spot Cohen had been only moments before, eyes wide and mouths agape.
‘What in the blazing hell of glory just happened?’ Allison asked, bewildered.
Paige couldn’t bring herself to respond, but she knew the answer all too well. She might have thought he’d left her heartbroken before, but Paige was wrong. Cohen Beckett had just shattered her heart completely, with no regard for the shards he left it in.
Chapter 20
Cohen
Summer had definitely hit Port Landon. In Cohen’s line of business, he always judged the beginning of the season by the flare-ups of allergies, fleas, ticks, and other untoward conditions. The heat of summer mixed with the pollen and weed growth had a way of creating a playground for those kinds of things. In their small town, it was up to Cohen to control it for the furry population and their owners.
But that was his job – to aid animals with their ailments. What he couldn’t heal or fix, he would do his best to ease and control.
It seemed to be the only thing he could control these days. He had never been one to want to control his surroundings, and he’d always done well at taking things as they came. In the same vein, he wasn’t one to ruminate on what others thought of him or how he was perceived through the eyes of others.
That wasn’t the case when it came to how Bryce was perceived, obviously. Or maybe what mattered to him most was that it was Paige Henley’s perception of his son that was in question. Okay, so there was no maybe about it. If another person in their town came to him and accused Bryce of doing something like—
No, it wasn’t possible. Because Bryce wouldn’t do something like that. The fact that Paige could accuse Bryce of stealing not once but twice made his stomach twist in anguish every time he allowed himself to think about it. She had come to him, blaming his ten-year-old for some missing baked goods, and then she had the audacity to insinuate he was the culprit of the missing fifty dollars at the fundraiser as well?
Well, technically she hadn’t said it out loud. But he knew what she was getting at. And that didn’t sit well with Cohen. Not only because it was his own flesh and blood in question, but because he never would have expected it from Paige.
And maybe that was what hurt him the most.
He couldn’t let it get to him. It was easier said than done, especially seeing as everything reminded him of how good things had been for him over the past few weeks, and everyone he talked to mentioned Paige by name. The fundraiser had made her a local celebrity … and the town’s own sweetheart. Port Landon loved her.
The problem was, so did he. Still. She accused his son of the unthinkable, yet she was still at the forefront of his mind no matter how hard he tried to push the thoughts of her away. He felt like he was betraying Bryce in some way, and that made Cohen’s heart hurt even more.
Bryce, however, was more interested than ever about Paige. Two days had passed since the fundraising event. His son had grown quieter over that time, but when he did open his mouth, it was questions or comments about Paige that emerged.
‘Are you and Paige okay?’ Bryce had asked the evening before while they lounged in the living room watching Home Alone. It was their favorite movie, one they had watched together more times than Cohen could count. They could both recite lines from it word for word.
His question caught Cohen off guard but he played it down as much as possible. ‘Everything is fine, buddy.’
‘That’s not what I asked.’
The kid was smarter than he gave him credit for. ‘You don’t need to be worried about me or Paige, Bryce. We’ll be okay.’
‘Are you guys still going to go on dates?’ Bryce didn’t miss a beat, and his eyes pleaded with Cohen to be honest with him. Not for the first time, Cohen was rudely reminded that his son wasn’t the baby he still saw him as.
‘Paige and I are just friends,’ Cohen explained carefully. ‘That’s all we’ve ever been.’ The words tasted like lies on his lips.
Bryce scoffed. ‘Yeah, right.’
‘What?’ Cohen quirked an eyebrow. ‘It’s the truth.’
‘Dad,’ Bryce said, obviously fed up with his father’s insistent denial, ‘I’m not stupid.’
‘Maybe not, but you’re ten years old,’ Cohen reminded him. ‘We’re not discussing this.’
‘Because you and Paige broke up?’ he countered. ‘Or because you don’t want to admit it to me?’
Cohen stared at his son, as though for the first time. There was something in his son’s eyes that scared him. Vulnerability, maybe? Incomprehension? He couldn’t bring himself to ask the boy about it, but one thing was certain. He sure didn’t want to believe that look in his eyes was guilt.
He didn’t
answer the question. Instead, he pointed at the television screen. ‘Just watch the movie, Bryce.’
The boy huffed a loud sigh. ‘We need to talk about Paige, Dad.’
If he hadn’t been so upset when it came to her, Cohen would have laughed out loud. Bryce was making it sound like he needed an intervention or something. ‘No, we don’t. There’s nothing to talk about, my boy.’
‘There is, though.’ Bryce’s hands came up in exasperation, but Cohen sat up straighter, holding up one hand to silence him.
‘Enough, Bryce!’ He shook his head. ‘This is between Paige and me, all right?’
‘But, Dad—’
‘No,’ he stated more sternly. ‘I mean it, Bryce.’
His son tossed himself back against the couch cushions again, defeated. ‘Fine.’
Finally. Cohen remained silent, easing back into his spot on the couch. Kevin McAllister was ordering pizza in the movie, but he didn’t think his son was paying much attention to the television, either. Rarely did he argue with his son, and Cohen knew how lucky he was to have such an easy relationship with him at that age. He wasn’t naive to the fact that strain was coming as the boy got into his teenage years – Cohen had been a teen once and he had given his own father a run for his money. Cohen and Bryce’s journey would be no different.
He never fathomed that they would argue about Cohen’s dating life, however. Mostly because Cohen had never had a dating life up until now, and because he hadn’t thought of the repercussions for Bryce if things didn’t work out with Paige.
Now, he had a boy who wanted to know about adult things. Things that Cohen wasn’t interested in telling him. Not to mention, there was no way he was confessing to Bryce that Paige believed he’d stolen goods from her shop. The notion would crush the boy. He couldn’t allow for that. He was the adult in this duo, and he would handle it himself.
The Forget-Me-Not Bakery Page 19