Two cars pulled up and parked beside them. Mr. Silverstein climbed out of an old orange Camaro. The driver’s side door squeaked on its hinges. He gave it a good shove to close the door. The car beside the Camaro was newer and a model Anna didn’t recognize. The driver stayed inside with the engine running.
Mr. Silverstein walked over to them and surveyed the damage before speaking. “Such a shame,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it when my wife told me what everyone was saying. We drove by this afternoon and saw the two of y’all working.” He turned to face them. “We did some talking about it, and we figured you’d need a little help from anyone willing to offer it. I noticed your car has seen better days.” He jerked his head toward the rear of the bakery. Then he held out his fisted hand to her. “Take this. We don’t need it, and we don’t drive it. It’s just an extra thing sitting at the house.”
Mr. Silverstein dropped a set of keys into Anna’s hand. “You’re giving me a car?” she asked. “I can’t accept this. Thank you, but I’ll get mine fixed.” Anna glanced at Eli, who seemed just as surprised by the offer.
Mr. Silverstein shook his head. “I won’t accept no for an answer. It’s yours.” Then he stepped away before Anna could argue, so she hurried over to him and threw her arms around his neck and thanked him.
Even in the disappearing light, she could see he blushed. Anna waved as he rode away with his wife. An easterly wind blew and Anna breathed in the smells of autumn, reminding her of running through fallen leaves, sitting under blankets roasting s’mores, and carving pumpkins with goofy faces. She tilted her head back and looked up at the stars twinkling in the darkening blue of the sky. Hope floated on the wind and tangled itself in Anna’s hair. She reached up and pulled her fingers through the strands, feeling her hand warm.
˜˜˜˜
After finishing most of the pizza, Anna leaned her head against the window and exhaled loudly. “The last slice did me in,” she said. “From here on out, three is my limit. No less—definitely no more.”
Eli finished off the sixth slice of pizza and wiped his mouth. “If I eat one more, these pants will become a moving hazard. The button could burst off at any moment, ricochet around the cab, and knock us out. Then we’d freeze to death overnight, and they would find us here in the morning, reeking of pizza and me without my pants buttoned.”
Anna chuckled. “You’ve given that way too much thought,” she teased. But she closed the pizza box to prevent him from reaching for another slice. “Precautionary measures,” she said as she slid the pizza box onto the dashboard.
She stared down at the keys resting on the middle of the seat in between them. Picking them up, she closed her fingers around them and inhaled slowly. On the exhale, she reached her hand over toward Eli. “Here,” she said. She dropped the keys into Eli’s hand, and he looked over at her with his blue eyes in a way that made her want to throw her arms around him. The cab filled with the aroma of summertime, all fresh cut grass and riding with the windows down—freedom.
“Why are you giving me these?” he asked, turning toward her in the seat.
“You’ll need a trusty steed to take you on your journey, cowboy,” she said, willing her throat not to close up. She rubbed her fingers across her collarbone.
Eli nodded and stared out the window. For a few long minutes, they sat in silence. Then Eli stretched his open hand, palm up, across the seat, and Anna placed her hand in his. He twined their fingers together. Energy zinged between their bound hands, and Eli squeezed his fingers against hers as if to show her he felt it too.
“Thank you,” he said, leaning his head against the back window and looking at her. He pressed his other hand to his heart. “No matter where I go, you’ll always be in here. Always with me.”
Anna turned away so that Eli wouldn’t see how she struggled not to cry, but she didn’t let go of his hand, and they stayed like that sitting in her daddy’s truck until the moon was high in the sky and the crickets in Mystic Water sang everyone to sleep.
17
Ooey Gooey Butter Cake
After spending the next few days kicking through the bakery debris, finding a couple dozen more salvageable items, and spending time on the phone with the insurance company, Anna was finally able to sit down and have lunch with Tessa and Lily. She hadn’t been avoiding them exactly, but she hadn’t been quite ready to talk about what happened. Her emotions were still too close to the surface, and she wanted to stay focused on rebuilding.
Anna walked into the deli on Main Street. She waved to Mr. and Mrs. Cavelli. Anna scanned the day’s specials written in looping script on the chalkboard and pulled a sheet of folded paper from her pocket. She’d written down the choices for Lily and Tessa, and Lily’s choice was the special. Mrs. Cavelli came from behind the counter and hugged Anna.
“So sorry to hear about the bakery,” she said. “You’re going to rebuild, aren’t you? It wouldn’t be the same without you around the corner.”
Anna smiled. “We’re definitely rebuilding,” she said with a nod. “I think all the insurance quirks should be worked out by the end of the week, which means rebuilding can start soon.”
Mrs. Cavelli smiled and retied her mustard-stained apron around her curvy figure. “Good,” she said. “You need any carpentry help, you let me know. You know our son Richie is a great craftsman. Does beautiful work. Course I’m his mother, and I’m biased, but you ask anyone. They’ll tell you he’s excellent.”
“What can I get you, Anna?” Mr. Cavelli asked from behind the counter. “If you don’t order soon, she’ll want to set you up with Richie, and I don’t think he’s your type.”
Mrs. Cavelli fisted her hands on her hips. “What’s wrong with Richie? He’s a handsome boy, and he’s a hard worker. Besides, I’m not trying to set Anna up with him. I know she has a boyfriend. You do have a boyfriend, right?” she asked, joining her husband behind the counter. Her large brown eyes looked hopeful.
“Well, I—”
“Now, Rosa, that’s none of your business.” He grinned at Anna and shook his head. “Anna, what can I get you?”
“Nothing wrong with a mother wanting a pretty young woman for her son,” Rosa grumbled under her breath.
Anna smiled and glanced at the list. She ordered a grilled brie and tomato on whole wheat bread for Lily, a smoked turkey club on sourdough for Tessa, and an old-fashioned grilled cheese for herself. She grabbed three bags of potato chips while they prepared her order, but when she tried to pay, Mr. Cavelli refused her money.
“Look at it as neighbors helping neighbors,” Mr. Cavelli said, and Mrs. Cavelli nodded in agreement.
“But I can’t let you give me all this food for free. At least let me pay for half of it. I’m feeding Lily and Tessa too,” Anna said, pushing her money across the counter.
“When you reopen your bakery, you bake Rosa and me a cake, and we’ll call it even,” Mr. Cavelli offered.
Anna smiled. “Deal. What’s your favorite kind?”
Mrs. Cavelli’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I love the chocolate peanut butter torte with that cookie crust. I have dreams about it. It makes me feel like dancing.” She swayed her hips to the music in her head.
“You got it,” Anna said. She thanked them and carried the bags down the street to the park where she saw Lily and Tessa bundled up in jackets and scarves, stretching out a patchwork quilt in the sunshine. Bright red and brown cardinals bounced from limb to limb in a nearby oak tree, watching them as they arranged their picnic area.
Lily pulled three travel mugs out of her carry bag, and Tessa folded cloth napkins and anchored them to the blanket with forks. She looked up and saw Anna, and they both waved. Anna plopped down beside them and passed around chips and sandwiches. The breeze carried the scent of melted cheese and freshly brewed coffee. Tessa tore open her bag of barbeque chips and flipped off the top piece of bread on her sandwich. She laid down a layer of chips and then put her sandwich back together. Her first bite crunched, and crumbs fell onto
the napkin in her lap.
“Remember when Tessa went through that phase where she ate only mayonnaise and barbeque Frito sandwiches?” Lily asked and sipped her coffee. “Her fingers were constantly orange-tipped.”
“Did she ever grow out of that phase?” Anna teased.
Tessa laughed and tossed a potato chip at Lily. It caught the wind and landed on Anna’s knee instead. Anna popped it into her mouth and said, “Finders keepers.”
“At least I didn’t go through a ketchup and macaroni and cheese phase,” Tessa said, looking pointedly at Lily.
“That was weird,” Anna agreed. She drank hot chocolate from the travel mug. The cardinals chirped a song, echoing each other.
A string of brie stretched from Lily’s mouth to the bread before it pulled too thin and broke. She wiped her mouth before saying, “Personally, I thought the peanut butter and Doritos phase was the real low point of my food experimentation, but this morning, I made a sandwich of dill pickle slices and cream cheese.”
Anna wrinkled her nose, and Tessa made a gagging noise. “I wouldn’t be spreading that around town,” Anna joked. She finished one half of her sandwich and leaned back on her palms. “Guess you can blame it on the peanut now though.” She glanced over at Lily. “How is everything with you and Jakob?”
Lily sighed. “Peachy. He’s great. We’re great. Tomorrow the firm is going to make him partner, and then after the weekend, we can let the cat out of the bag,” she said with a devilish smile. “He apologized for his mother, and he’s been doting on me like crazy. I think the fire really scared him,” she said, looking away from Anna’s gaze.
“It does put life into perspective,” Anna said, glancing up the street at where the bakery used to sit.
“I know everyone’s been asking, but you are planning on rebuilding, aren’t you?” Tessa asked. “Won’t the insurance money help with that?”
“It will,” Anna said, “and we’re going to rebuild for sure. I’m not sure about the apartment above it, but definitely the building for the bakery. We might even be able to start as soon as next week.”
“What about Wildehaven Beach?” Lily asked.
Anna thought of the sodden contract she’d carried home the night of the fire. It was now dried and wrinkled and hiding under her childhood bed. “I think everyone would prefer I stay.”
“What’s in Wildehaven Beach?” Tessa asked, finishing her sandwich.
Anna realized she’d never had a chance to talk to Tessa about the bakery offer, so she took a few minutes to explain the situation. Tessa listened, but the color faded from her face. A cloud drifted in front of the sun.
“You’re not going, are you? That would mean I’d lose both of you,” Tessa said.
“Both of who?” Lily asked, leaning her head back and funneling potato chip crumbs into her mouth. She thumped the edge of the bag to help them slide along.
“He told me he was leaving,” Tessa said in a voice so quiet both Anna and Lily leaned closer. Tessa fiddled with a string on the quilt. “I don’t blame him really, but I don’t want to lose both of you. Even if he stayed, I know I’d still lose him. His heart is with you. Even I can’t continue to ignore that—”
“Tessa—”
“He’s been with you every day, helping you. I know he cares about me, but it’s not the same way he cares about you. He loves you, and I’m sorry that I didn’t think that love was real. I was wrong. And I’m sorry that he’s leaving. It’s all my fault,” she said, blinking away tears.
Anna put down her sandwich and slid closer to Tessa. “Even if I moved to Wildehaven Beach, you aren’t losing me. I told the same thing to Lily. It’s a little more than an hour away, and it’s on the beach. You could visit me any time, but that’s null and void now. None of this is your fault, Tessa. I don’t think that for one second.”
Tessa swiped at her tears and tucked her hair behind her ears. “But I made that stupid thing that almost killed all of us. I burned down your bakery and your apartment.”
“That’s all true, but you didn’t intend to kill us. You’ve never been a great baker either, so the results aren’t entirely surprising,” Anna said. When Tessa jerked her head up and stared open-mouthed at Anna, Anna gave her a playful shove on the knee. “I’m kidding, Tess. You had no idea that the dough would turn into a psycho, best friend killer, and you were trying to help me—”
“I was,” Tessa agreed. “I didn’t know my man was going to be a homicidal dough boy. I mean, why was it so crazy?” Tessa asked through her tears, but her lips were curling up at the corners.
“He was probably pissed you made him out of your mom’s Italian bread,” Lily said. “He looked like someone burned cheese on his head. Plus he smelled like scorched raccoon fur.” She leaned her face toward the sun. “That’s enough to ruin anyone’s day.”
“And you know how that smells because…?” Anna asked, nudging Lily’s leg with her foot. Lily only laughed.
“I’m really sorry, Anna,” Tessa said, folding her hands together in her lap. “I don’t want you to leave because of me.”
“Even if I did go, it wouldn’t be because of you,” Anna assured her. “We’re going to rebuild, and it’s a chance for me to start over. Something good will come out of this mess. But the next time you bake something, you should ask for some assistance.” Anna smiled at Tessa.
“I promise,” Tessa said and held out her pinky finger. Anna looped hers around Tessa’s. “No more men for me. Not for a while.”
“Definitely no dough men,” Lily agreed. “Anna, remember the cake Tessa made for your tenth birthday?” Lily asked. “The one she found in the pet magazine?”
“I didn’t know it was for dogs!” Tessa said defensively, and all three girls burst out laughing.
˜˜˜˜
Anna slid her new cell phone into her back pocket as she climbed out of her daddy’s truck. Baron’s car was parked in the driveway, and he sat on the front steps of her parents’ house. Smoke curled from their brick chimney. He gave her a small smile as she walked up, and he patted the spot beside him.
“Your mama knows I’m here,” he said with an easy smile. “I didn’t want her to think there was a lurker on her porch.”
The chill of the bricks seeped through her blue jeans, and she gave a little shiver. “I hope she offered you some of the baked goods from the people in town,” Anna said. “I swear, if I have to hear her fuss at Daddy for eating another piece of cake, I’m going to go bonkers.”
Baron patted his stomach through his thick, fleece jacket. “Proud owner of four peanut butter cookies that are a little on the dry side and a slice of apple pie.”
Baron’s breath hung in front of his mouth in puffs of white before disappearing into the air around them. Anna wrapped her arms around her knees and looked at the sun hanging over the forest. It would be dark in another hour and too cold to sit outside without a warm drink or a wool blanket.
Baron exhaled loudly, and they both watched the long cloud of white travel toward the roofline. “When I stepped outside of the pub that night to take a phone call and saw the bakery glowing like a furnace, I couldn’t think. I stared for a whole minute because my mind wouldn’t register what my eyes were seeing. Then all I could think about was you sleeping upstairs in your cupcake pajamas, trapped in your apartment. Eli came running out of the darkness, and we didn’t even speak or ask questions. I didn’t care that he was the man I’d seen kissing you earlier. I only cared that I get to you. We were like one mind working to get into the bakery and save you.
“The whole downstairs was filled with smoke, and I swear I saw something burning and flailing around inside. I refused to believe it was you. We threw a bench through the front window.” He paused and shoved his hand into his hair. The scent of the ocean drifted around them, circling them. “I can’t even think about what would have happened if I hadn’t come outside. I was still so mad at you, but as soon as I thought you were in trouble, I felt sick with fear.” Baron s
tretched his legs out down the stairs and folded his hands together in his lap. “I wanted to say I’m sorry for being a hypocrite.”
Anna looked over at him. His hair was tousled, and his cheeks were pink from the chill in the air. She couldn’t deny he was handsome. Part of her still yearned for the comfortable routine they’d had before, but she knew there was nothing fulfilling left in that relationship. “What do you mean?”
“I was pissed when I saw you kissing Eli,” he admitted. “It still burns me up. But I kissed a girl when I was in California.”
“Valerie?” Anna asked. Thinking of Baron kissing someone else caused an emotion akin to jealousy to slither through her stomach, so she swallowed and breathed in slowly.
Baron’s eyes widened. “How did you know that?”
“You called me from a disco. You were talking to her, about her actually.”
“I did?” he asked. He shook his head and chuckled. “What an idiot. I felt awful afterward. I knew it was wrong. Then I started thinking about what you said before I left. You were right. I wasn’t thinking about us. I wasn’t thinking about anyone but myself, and you deserve better than that.”
Anna nodded. “Wow. Guess that makes us even,” she said as she rubbed her hands up her shins, creating friction that warmed her legs.
“Nah,” he said. “I think you win. I always needed you more than you needed me. Now I have to try to find someone to put up with me, and you’re free from a selfish jerk.”
Baron grinned at her, and Anna laughed. The front door opened, and Evelyn poked her head out. “Goodness, it’s too cold for chatting out here. Y’all come inside. I’ve made Anna’s famous hot chocolate and turkey chili with extra kick like Anna likes, but heavens, it gives me heartburn. Now, come on in.” She closed the door.
“Wanna stay for dinner?” Anna asked, standing and stretching.
Baron stood and pulled her into a hug. “This is difficult for me to admit, but I wasn’t good enough for you.”
“So they say,” Anna said, hugging Baron and breathing in the green scent of grapes ripening on the vine.
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