When Love Returns

by Lorana Hoopes

  Her words continued to rattle around in his head that night as he laid in bed staring at the white ceiling. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain, and he found himself whispering his own prayer before his eyes closed for the night.

  Anna accompanied him to the bakery the next morning. With his father able to walk more using his cane, his mother was freed up to watch Joy and insisted that Anna help. As it was New Year’s Eve, Brandon knew Presley would want to close early and would probably stay closed the next day, so today was their shot to get as many of the orders taken care of as they could.

  Presley was just opening the door as they arrived. “Oh, Anna, I’m so happy to see you. Not that Brandon wasn’t a big help yesterday, but I kept having to differentiate between the flour, sugar, and salt for him.” She smiled and winked at him.

  He pretended to look shocked. “It’s not my fault. I never claimed to be a chef.”

  “Baker,” Presley said laughing. “Now, come on, we have work to do.”

  After a quick stealthy kiss, he released her and flipped the sign on the window to open. The girls got the ingredients ready, and he set up the computer. As he clicked on the website, his jaw fell open. There were another fifty orders waiting.

  “Presley, did you talk to Rita yet?” His voice shook with enthusiasm as he scanned the page.

  “Briefly, she said she’d come by this morning. Why?” Her voice carried down the hall from the back pantry.

  “Because we’re going to need that help soon.”

  The girls returned, arms laden with ingredients.

  “Holy cow, what is that?” Anna said as she set down her Tupperware containers. Her eyes had found the computer screen.

  “That is why you’re here. We have another fifty orders.”

  Presley dropped the bag she was holding, which thankfully was sealed though it landed with a thud on the table. “Fifty? We didn’t even finish the orders from yesterday.”

  “Don’t worry. I’ll send emails to everyone letting them know there will be a slight delay due to New Years. You two just get to baking.”

  The girls mixed the ingredients as Brandon responded to each email. When that task was finished, he donned an apron to help with the baking. With each jingle of the bell, Presley stopped to help the customer, and Brandon worried they wouldn’t finish.

  “Stop worrying,” Anna said, poking his arm.

  “I’m not.” He laid out dough and began running the rolling pin over it.

  “You are too. Your forehead gets these frowny lines whenever you worry.” She pointed at his forehead with her brown mixing spoon. The metal mixing bowl in which she was stirring cookie dough was cradled in her left arm.

  Brandon always wondered how she knew. Anna, like Presley, had always been able to read his moods. Perhaps it was because of some tell he didn’t even know he had. He reached up to feel his forehead, but it felt the same way it always had. “Okay, so I am, a little. I just want this to go well for Presley.” He wanted it to go well for another reason as well. If this took off, they could afford the house and start putting money away for a nice wedding.

  “It will. We’re doing really well, and I have a few more days until I have to go back, so I can help out.” She set the bowl on the counter and cracked two eggs into it before stirring again.

  “You’re a good sister.” He smiled at her and reached for the raisins to sprinkle them into the cinnamon roll batter he had rolled out.

  Presley returned a moment later, a smile on her face. “Well, Rita has agreed to run an ad for us, but until it gets filled, her niece has just graduated and is looking for a job. I told her we’d try her out for a week, and if it works then we’ll talk a full-time job.”

  “That’s wonderful.” Brandon crossed to Presley, gathered her in his arms, and spun her around. She laughed as her loose hair flew about her head.

  When they stopped, his hands slid down to sit on her hips. Her eyes stared into his, and her breath caught. Every fiber in his body wanted to kiss her, but they were in her shop and Anna was only a few feet away.

  “Ahem,” she said, clearing her throat, “I hate to interrupt you two lovebirds, but we still need to do some baking over here.”

  A soft pink blush, the color of carnations, spread across Presley’s nose and cheeks. With great reluctance, Brandon removed his hands and returned to the cinnamon rolls. Presley began boxing up the completed orders. By four in the afternoon, they had finished all but ten orders.

  “Come on, Presley. We can always come back tomorrow to finish. Let’s get ready for the dance,” Anna said as she removed her apron.

  Presley stared a moment longer at the order screen, sighed, and removed her apron as well. “Okay, I guess one more day won’t hurt.”

  After she locked up, Anna and Brandon walked Presley to her apartment before continuing back to their parent’s house to change and get Joy. Brandon felt like he hadn’t seen his daughter the last few days, but she wasn’t angry about it. It had to be this town and having family close.

  “Daddy, is the dance tonight?” Joy asked as they entered the house.

  “Sure is, Bug. In a few hours. How was your day?”

  “It was great. Come see what I did.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him into the living room where her little card table was set up. Finished, and taking up a good part of the table, was the puzzle Presley had gotten her for Christmas.

  “Wow, Joy, did you do this all yourself?” Anna asked as she spied the puzzle.

  “Well, mostly. Nana helped a little.” Joy’s voice was full of pride as she beamed in front of the table.

  “I guess it’s time to get you an even bigger puzzle,” Brandon said as he ruffled Joy’s hair.

  Her eyes widened. “They get bigger?”

  A small chuckle escaped his lips. “Yeah, they can get a lot bigger. I’ve seen a five-thousand-piece puzzle before.”

  “Five thousand pieces?” Her voice was barely louder than a whisper and dripping with awe.

  “Yeah, maybe one day when we move into our house, we’ll get a big puzzle and put it together. We’ll need lots of floor space.”

  Brandon left her beaming and dancing to check on his father, who looked even stronger today. He was still using the cane, but not as much. Then he headed to the shower to get ready for the dance.

  Chapter 29

  As the warm water sprayed on her back, Presley rehashed the events of the day. It was amazing to be baking again, though a little daunting. She couldn’t believe how much business had picked up just from Brandon’s webpage and whatever advertising he had done.

  She lathered the strawberry scented shampoo into her hair and smiled. She would never have imagined a year ago when she moved back that Brandon would re-enter her life or that he’d propose, but she couldn’t be happier. He was so much more relaxed working here than with the promotional company in Dallas, and Joy completed a part of Presley’s life she hadn’t even known was missing. Though the non-stop orders coming in were tough to complete now, her hope was they would allow her and Brandon to purchase the house they toured and maybe put away a little for the wedding.

  She hadn’t even begun planning it, but she hoped that Brandon would be okay with it being a simple affair. Presley wanted to get a dress and a cake from out of town, but her hope was that Trudy would help decorate and Max would cater. Other than that, she had no grand plans. Just marrying him would be enough for her.

  After washing the shampoo out, she turned the water off and stepped out amid a cloud of steam. She had always liked her showers short but hot. The steamy air always seemed to clear her head, and she liked to think it helped her skin. Though that might just be wishful thinking.

  She grabbed the purple terry cloth towel off the rack and dried off, wrapping it around her head when she was done to soak up some of the excess water still in her hair. The dance tonight was going to be more lowkey, so she picked a long-flowered skirt and matching shirt to wear.

  With the cl
othing on, she dried her hair one more time and applied just a dab of makeup. Eye liner to brighten her eyes, a tiny stroke of eye shadow across the lids, and a shimmery pink gloss. The image looking back from the mirror met her approval, and she clicked off the light and headed to the other part of the house for Ryan. They had agreed to walk together to meet up with Brandon, Joy, and Anna.

  He was sitting at their mother’s small kitchen table finishing a sandwich when she entered.

  “You know, they’re going to have food there.” Presley pulled up a chair beside him and snagged a chip off his plate.

  “I know, but I’m starving, and this way I can focus more on Anna than filling my bottomless pit.”

  It was true. He had eaten several large meals a day since the time he was thirteen. Presley had always thought it would taper off when he stopped growing, but evidently it hadn’t. “Well, that was thoughtful of you. How are things with you and Anna anyway?”

  His forehead wrinkled as his eyes clouded over. “They’re good, I think, but I have to head back to Houston tomorrow. I don’t know what the future holds for us.”

  “My suggestion is just to enjoy tonight and don’t worry too much about the next few months. If it’s meant to be, it will work out.”

  “Yeah, though as you know,” he pointed a finger at her, “that is easier said than done.” He finished the last bite of burger and rinsed his plate in the sink. “Shall we?” He held out his arm and, with a smile, she placed her arm in his.

  They stopped just long enough to grab coats, and then made their way toward Brandon’s. He, Anna, and Joy met them halfway, and they turned toward the barn. Along the way, they were joined by Max, who seemed less grumpy today, and Layla, who was smiling in her naturally happy way.

  The air was crisp and cold and the sky was clear, giving them a clear view of the stars’ brilliance. Presley squeezed Brandon’s hand as they approached the barn. Music spilled out of the open door, some country tune she didn’t recognize, but as this dance was for the whole family, she knew there would be other songs coming soon.

  As they stepped inside, she was surprised to see the barn divided. To the right, Justin was doing his DJ routine and blasting out the country music. A few couples, including Ned and Amelia were dancing. Ned’s lime green suit elicited a small giggle, and she shook her head at his eccentricity. To the left, a pull down white screen was set up and an animated movie was playing for the younger kids. They were spread out on bean bag chairs and munching handfuls of popcorn. Across the back hot dogs, hamburgers, chips, salads, and desserts lined a buffet table. Just inside the door was a movable metal rack filled with coats and hangers. Everyone shrugged off their coats and added them to the group.

  “I’ll be by the food if you need me,” Max said from behind, but before he could make it to the table, Layla snagged his arm, turning him back.

  “No, you won’t. You’re going to dance with me.” She wound her arms around his neck, and a slow smile crossed Max’s lips. His arms encircled her waist, and he allowed himself to be pulled to the dance floor.

  “That looks like fun. Ryan, will you join me?” Anna held out her hand, and Ryan, looking like he had just won the lottery, put his hand in hers and followed her to the dance floor. Anna’s dark blue dress flared out as he spun her around before pulling her close.

  “What about you Joy?” Brandon bent down to Joy’s level. “You want to dance with us or go watch the movie?”

  Joy’s lips pursed, and she looked from right to left and back again. “I guess one dance with you, and then I’ll watch the movie.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Brandon winked at Presley before leading Joy onto the dance floor.

  “I hope he plans on saving you one.”

  Presley turned to see Trudy behind her, though she had to blink a few times to make sure it was her. Her dark hair fell down in soft curls at her shoulders. Her denim overalls had been exchanged for a denim skirt and bright red shirt that fell off one shoulder, revealing smooth brown skin underneath.

  “Who are you? And what have you done with my friend Trudy?” Presley had never seen her in a dress, and the teasing jab escaped her mouth before she could stop it.

  “Shut up. I just thought I’d see what all the fuss is about.” She punched Presley’s arm lightly before folding her arms across her chest.

  “Well, you look wonderful. You should do it more often. You could have the kind of love your grandmother had too, you know.” She wiggled her eyebrow to emphasize her point.

  Trudy shrugged and they went back to watching the dancers. Brandon’s face radiated pure happiness as he spun Joy around the floor. Anna’s and Ryan’s faces were nearly identical – the dopey starry-eyed faces of young love. Even Max’s face, though serious, was focused on Layla, and the love between them was evident in his stare. Presley smiled as she took them all in. This was the reason she loved this town. These crazy characters who somehow still managed to find love and happiness in this small town.

  “Would you look at that.” Trudy’s voice was quiet, but Presley turned to see what she was looking at. Paula was entering the barn on the arm of Barnard. She wore a tight black dress and he had on a white suit with a black tie. They looked more like they belonged at a formal dance than a small town one, but it was more surprising to see them together. Was it a new romance, just a friendly date, or something that had been going on in secret for some time?

  “I guess there’s someone out there for everyone. See, that means there’s hope for you too.” Trudy rolled her eyes, but there was a smirk on her face that led Presley to believe that maybe, just maybe, she was rethinking her self-imposed ban on love.

  “Sorry to interrupt,” Brandon said, returning, “but may I have this dance?”

  Presley looked to Trudy to make sure it’s okay. She didn’t want to leave her alone when she was all dressed up and feeling vulnerable.

  “Go, go.” She motioned with a wave of her hand. “I’ll go watch whatever is playing with Miss Joy for a bit.”

  As she took Joy’s hand and led her to the left, Brandon led Presley to the dance floor. The music switched from an upbeat song to a slow ballad, and he pressed his right arm against her lower back, pulling her closer to him. She could feel the beat of his heart through his shirt. Her left arm glided up his shoulder, stopping just behind his neck.

  “Did you ever think we would end up here?” His brown eyes stared into her soul, and the words swam in her head again.

  “Not really, though I often dreamed about it.”

  “Me too.” He spun them slowly around. “I’m so glad you didn’t give up on me.”

  “I’m glad you gave me a reason not to.”

  As the music slowed, he leaned down just brushing his lips against hers. “More later,” he whispered in her ear. Presley nodded, but it took every bit of effort not to return the kiss now. Her lips tingled and craved another taste. “Let’s get some food.”

  He steered them to the buffet table, and they piled their plates and then a plate for Joy. Walking carefully, to avoid spilling food, they made their way to the kids’ side and found her snuggled in a blue bean bag chair. They delivered her plate, which she barely acknowledged, as she was engrossed in the movie, and then returned to the other side where a few tables were set up around the dance floor.

  Anna and Ryan joined them, their own plates brimming as well. Presley shook her head at Ryan’s plate, which was filled from one end to the other as if he hadn’t just eaten a few hours ago.

  “Did Max do the food?” Anna asked, glancing around to see if he was close by.

  Brandon took a bite of his burger and shook his head. “No, these aren’t his burgers. Too dry. They must have had someone else bring the food in.”

  “Huh, wonder why?”

  “Maybe Max didn’t want to cook for all these people. It is a pretty big crowd.” As Presley looked around, it appeared most of the town was there. Even Pastor RoNed had shown up, though he was already dozing in the corn
er. Trudy was talking to a handsome man Presley couldn’t remember ever seeing before. His black leather jacket gave him the air of a visitor. She would have to ask her about him later.

  “Maybe Ned brought the food over in his Lyft service,” Brandon said, chuckling at the thought.

  “His what?” Ryan asked.

  Presley pulled her gaze from Trudy and the unknown man. “You would have had to have been here, but at the winter festival dance, Ned said he wanted to start a Lyft service and taxi dogs around in his sister’s car.”

  Anna’s fingertips touched her forehead as she shook it back and forth. “Ah, Ned, I’m gonna miss him when I go back to school.”

  “I’m going to miss a lot of things.” Ryan’s words were said solely in the direction of Anna, and as their gazes locked, Presley felt conspicuously like a third wheel, even though Brandon was sitting right next to her.

  “Are we that bad?” she whispered to him.

  “Worse,” Anna said with a smile.

  After dinner, they checked on Joy, who had passed out in her bean bag chair. Trudy had wandered over to the adult side and was chatting with Mr. Baker, the school principal. He was too old for her, but the fact that she was chatting with a man at all gave hope that one day she would take a chance on love.

  Feeling the need to take a break from dancing, Brandon and Presley found a deserted bean bag chair and plopped down in it. It wasn’t exactly made for two, and neither of them got a very comfortable piece on the first try. After a little bit of shifting and a few different positions, they found one that worked, and she curled into his arm.

  As his arm circled her shoulder, she found her eyelids slowly falling. It had been a long and busy day, and before she knew it, she could barely lift them anymore. Hoping that Brandon wouldn’t be offended, she allowed them to close and the world to go dark.