Autumn Bliss

by Stacey Joy Netzel

  She was still waiting for an answer he didn’t know how to form. Two steps later, he startled when her hand grasped his. A quick glance caught her gaze, received a brief smile, then she shifted her attention front and center.

  No verbal answer was needed.

  The tightness in his throat moved to his chest, making it hard to breathe. He threaded their fingers together, absorbing her warmth, drinking in the comfort as if he’d spent a week in the desert mountains of Afghanistan without water.

  Stomach churning, he waited for her to ask what happened.

  Chapter 14

  “How long have you been here at Whispering Pines?”

  Mallory sensed surprise and relief in Levi’s hesitation before he answered, “Two years.”

  “Right after they opened?”

  “Shortly after, yes.”

  She cast him a sideways glance through the shadows. She knew he’d been expecting a different question, one that still sat on the tip of her tongue, begging to be asked. Did she dare return to the potentially land-mine-laden army conversation, or continue along the relatively safe emergency detour?

  He’d been short with his replies a few minutes ago, but not once had he refused to answer. And he hadn’t pulled away, either. His large hand engulfed hers, strong and warm as it kept her physical awareness simmering right below the surface.

  It suddenly seemed important to know if he could trust her with the stuff he wasn’t comfortable talking about. Only, after her earlier retreat, she figured she’d ease back into it with what she hoped was a fairly neutral question.

  “What did you do in the army?”

  His pause was shorter this time. “Specialized in EOD.”

  “EOD?”

  “Explosive ordinance disposal.”

  The word explosive catapulted her heart into her throat. “Like diffusing roadside bombs?” she asked, unable to keep the alarm from her voice.

  “Yes. Relax.” His fingers gave hers a little squeeze. “It’s not like I’m still over there.”

  “Right.” She gave a self-conscious laugh, then blurted out, “Do you miss it? The adrenaline rush, I mean, not the life-endangering part.”

  “No, not at all. I tried law enforcement for about a year when I first came home, but couldn’t stand the politics. Working here fits. Doing a little bit of everything and not a whole lot of just one thing keeps things interesting, and I prefer not being cooped up in a building or a squad car all day.”

  Maybe that explained the occasional cornered-animal flashes of panic in his eyes. Did it have something to do with his time in the service? That was back along the path of land mines, so she skipped right on by.

  “I know what you mean about doing different things. I enjoy managing the gift shop as well as organizing the festival. I could see moving into special event planning in the future where I’d work with all kinds of different companies and organizations.”

  Her step slowed as they approached the driveway to his cabin. She was reluctant to have the conversation end, but she’d already taken up enough of his time.

  Instead of halting to say goodnight like she expected, he gave a tug on her hand to keep walking. After a slight hesitation, she increased her stride until she was side by side with him again.

  Her cabin was maybe another hundred yards down the lane. He truly didn’t have to walk her home, and yet the gesture warmed her heart like nothing else. She didn’t want to make comparisons, but after the years with Doug, she couldn’t help noticing all the little things Levi did that made her aware he was aware of her.

  “What are you doing tomorrow?” he asked.

  “Thursdays are my day off.”

  “I know. Are you actually going to enjoy it, or are you going to work on the festival?”

  “Actually, a week of sleeping on the couch has been long enough, so I’d planned on painting. But now with my car back in the shop, I have no way of getting everything I need, so it’ll probably be the festival.”

  “You do remember I was supposed to do the painting right?”

  “And I told you, I don’t mind doing it myself.”

  He swung their arms back and forth in a gentle motion as they approached her place. “My point is, I have all the painting supplies you need. Rollers, brushes, drop cloths.”

  The motion-sensor porch light flicked on, making her blink. “And how about the paint?”

  “Haven’t bought it yet, but we could pick some up in town in the morning.”

  “Aren’t you working tomorrow?”

  “Yes. Helping you. Mark’s orders, remember?”

  “Yeah, I’m pretty sure he meant with the festival.”

  “Since I still need to finish the shower, and since the painting was supposed to be my job anyway, I don’t think he’ll care. What time should I pick you up?”

  Didn’t sound like arguing with him would make one bit of difference—and she didn’t want to anyway.

  She attempted to pull her hand from his when she stepped up onto the cabin porch, but he held on as she turned to face him.

  “How about eight?” she suggested. “That’s late enough for me to sleep in, and early enough that we can get back in time to still work most of the morning.”

  He moved closer. Her breath caught when his gaze lowered to her mouth as he leaned in. Pulse racing, she closed her eyes in anticipation.

  His lips pressed to hers for a very brief and altogether too chaste kiss. She wanted to feel him against her, taste him.

  “Eight it is,” he murmured as his mouth left hers before she could press closer.

  He released her hand, and she opened her eyes as he backed up a couple steps. She caught a flash of his gorgeous smile and dimple before he turned and strode away.

  Oh my God, I’m in so much trouble.

  * * *

  Mallory fell asleep thinking about him, dreamed about him, and woke up with the tingling memory of his kiss on her lips.

  Her stomach was in an excited knot at the thought of seeing him again, and in the clear, fall-crisp light of day, she wondered what the hell she was doing. Getting involved with Levi while planning to leave was the dumbest move she could make.

  When he pulled up at eight, she shrugged into her coat and grabbed her purse to hurry outside before he could even get out of his truck. She didn’t want a carbon copy set-up of last night’s porch scene to tempt her to dive in for a repeat.

  Stay positive. She flashed him a grin as she slammed the door and secured her seatbelt. “Good morning.” Whoops, that’d come out over-the-top cheerful. She cringed inside when she noticed his forehead furrow.

  “Morning.”

  He looked slightly uncertain as they left the lodge, and she realized she wasn’t the only one who was off-balance. Had he lost sleep like her? Were they both in big trouble, or had he had second thoughts overnight and decided it was best not to encourage her?

  Denying the hurt in her chest, she decided that was fine with her.

  Beyond a few generic, stilted exchanges, the trip to Pulaski was awkward and quiet. The way it was going, she figured she’d send him on his way the moment they got back to her cabin. She didn’t want his help simply because he felt it was his job. Because the more she was around him, the more she wanted to be around him, and that needed to go away.

  When they exited the hardware store, she spotted Nash across the parking lot and waved. Seeing him reminded her of the previous morning, and while Levi swung the paint cans over the side of the bed of his truck, she asked, “Do you mind stopping at Josie’s Bakery Box? It’s on the way.”

  “I know where it is.” Two minutes later, he pulled into a parking spot a half-block away from the bakery.

  He moved ahead to open the shop door, and his hand touched the small of her back when he stepped aside for her to go first. Even just that light touch kick-started her pulse as the chime overhead announced their entrance. She happened to snag his gaze on the way past and swore she saw a flare of awareness in the de
pths of his eyes that were mostly brown this morning.

  Mallory forced herself to keep moving and drew in a deep breath of heavenly decadence. God, she loved how it smelled in here, as if the oxygen itself was loaded with calories. She savored the sweet scents mixed with the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, thankful that wasn’t actually the case.

  They were the only two customers at the moment, and her friend glanced up from behind the display cases.

  “Hey, stranger.” Josie tossed her a smile as she set a bag of frosting next to the square cake she’d been decorating with impressive flair. She scooped up a towel to wipe her hands as she added, “I miss seeing you in the mornings.”

  The greeting was for Mallory, but the redhead’s gaze flicked toward Levi with open curiosity.

  “I know.” It’d only been a week, but she missed their quick morning chats, too. “That just means we need to plan a girls night out.”

  The two-way kitchen door swung open, and Tessa carried out a tray of cinnamon rolls, her strawberry blond ponytail swinging with each step. “Girls night out? I’m in—especially if there’s karaoke.”

  Mallory laughed at the younger Sullivan’s enthusiasm. “No. No more karaoke.”

  “You had fun and you know it,” Josie teased.

  “I did—what I can remember of it.” But she didn’t really want to get into that in front of Levi, so she turned toward him before one of her friends could embarrass her. “I don’t know if you’ve all met…Josie and Tessa Sullivan, this is Levi Jenkins. He and I work together at Whispering Pines.”

  They exchanged greetings as Tessa switched the almost empty tray from the bakery case for the full one. “Josie owns the place, obviously,” she said. “I just help out the mornings I don’t have classes so she can catch up on orders.”

  Josie’s gaze shifted back to Mallory. “So, what brings you by?”

  The curiosity was back full-force, and Mallory knew she’d be getting a phone call later. “Breakfast.”

  “You could’ve grabbed something from the shop at the lodge.”

  “Yeah, but we were in town to pick up paint, so I thought I’d say hi.”

  “Ah, ha. In that case, you picked the perfect morning.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Uh-oh,” Tessa warned under her breath. “Run.”

  “Shut up.” Josie gave her a light smack on the arm. Turning back to Mallory and Levi, she said, “I whipped up some mini-quiches that I want to add to the menu, and you guys can be my taste-testers. Give me one minute.”

  She hurried into the back and Tessa grinned. “I was kidding. It’ll be fine.”

  Mallory realized she was talking to Levi, who looked doubtful about what was to come. “It will be fine,” she assured him as the overhead door chime announced incoming customers. “Josie’s a genius in the kitchen.”

  Her friend returned a moment later with two plates, forks, and napkins, then directed them to one of the mismatched coffee-table sets positioned near the windows. She waited for them to sit before placing the plates down.

  Each dish contained 3 mini-pastries, and she took a moment to point and explain the first trio. “Quiche Lorraine with ham. Smoked gouda and portabella mushroom. Spinach and tomato.”

  Mallory snuck a glance through her lashes at Levi. She bit back a grin at the wary look on his face. The names were a bit off-putting, but she had no doubt they’d be great.

  “I need honest opinions here, so don’t worry about hurting my feelings,” Josie advised in a stern tone. “Once you’ve tasted the first three, I’ll tell you the next three. Go ahead and get started while I grab my notebook.”

  She started toward the back, then swung around. “Oh, and coffee or milk?”

  They both requested coffee, then Levi watched her leave while Mallory picked up her fork. She cut off a piece from the spinach and tomato quiche and gave it a try. Levi returned his gaze to her as she chewed.

  “Mm, it’s good.”

  He didn’t look convinced. “I’m more of a bacon and eggs guy.”

  “Seriously?” She rolled her eyes when he didn’t pick up his fork. Cutting another piece, she lifted it and leaned across the table to offer it to him. “You used to handle bombs that could explode in your hands. Try it.”

  Her direct order made his gaze narrow on hers. She wondered if she’d pushed too far, but after his attention flicked past her shoulder for a second, he leaned forward to accept the bite. The color of his eyes had taken on a greener hue and she couldn’t look away until Josie thankfully returned to the table with two cups of coffee, cream, and sugar.

  “Well?” she demanded as she dragged a chair over from an adjoining table.

  Mallory raised her eyebrows for Levi to go first.

  “Not bad,” he allowed.

  “I think it’s really good,” Mallory told her friend as she reached to try the second one.

  They worked their way through the first three, then four through six. She didn’t have to feed any more bites to Levi—which would’ve been awkward in front of Josie. He tried each one without any more hesitation, and even went back to finish off the Lorraine, and the bacon and broccoli option. Of the six, they picked out three definitelys, one maybe, and a probably not.

  Tessa had been taking care of the steady stream of customers that came in, but when the line built up near the register, Josie excused herself to help. A few minutes later, Mallory noticed the younger Sullivan was helping the last person in line and Josie had disappeared into the back.

  Seizing her chance, she lifted her coffee cup and said to Levi, “I’m going to get a refill. Would you like one, too?”

  He shook his head as he sat back. “I’m good, thanks.”

  She slipped behind the serving area to pour the coffee just as Josie came back out of the kitchen. Her friend sidled up beside her.

  “You sneak,” she accused in a low, teasing voice. “When did you start dating him?”

  Mallory quelled the urge to look over at Levi and kept her own voice soft. “We’re not dating.”

  “Right.”

  “I’m serious.”

  “If you’re not, you should be.” When Mallory shot her a look, she shrugged. “What? It’s been six months since Doug, Mal. Have some fun.”

  Wouldn’t she love to do just that. Except with Levi, instinct told her fun wouldn’t be enough. “It’s more complicated than that.”

  “Why?”

  “My plans to leave Pulaski haven’t changed. I can’t just fool around with him and then go.”

  “Then stay.”

  It sounded so simple. Stay. She wasn’t sure if the resulting jerk of her pulse was due to hope or fear, and that scared her.

  Stirring in the sugar she’d added to her cup, she shook her head. “Forget about me right now, I want to talk about you.” She glanced up, made sure Tessa was still occupied, then pushed past her hesitation. “Did you know Nash is in town?”

  Josie’s blue eyes widened at the same time her face paled.

  Mallory’s chest constricted in sympathy for her friend’s dismay. “Sorry, but I thought you’d want to know.”

  “For how long?”

  She reached out and put her hand over Josie’s where it rested on the counter. Giving a squeeze, she said, “He’s moving home, Jose. For good.”

  Color flooded her friend’s face. Her eyes grew shimmery, but she quickly turned away. “Great. You’re gonna leave and he’s coming back.”

  Mallory reached out to touch her shoulder. “What happened? Can’t you tell me after all these years?”

  Josie shook her head as she reached up with a hand to wipe first one cheek, then the other. She wiped her hand on her apron, blew out a fortifying breath, and spun around with a determined glint in her eye. “You know what? It’ll be fine. I’ll deal with it. As busy as I am here, I probably won’t see him much anyway.”

  Mallory pulled her into a hug, and Josie’s tight grip belied her bluster. Tessa cast her a questioning glance from ov
er by the register, but she gave a small shake of her head as she whispered, “Let me know if you need to talk.”

  “I will.” Josie eased back to offer a tremulous smile. “In the meantime, think about what I said about Mr. Sexy over there.”

  Her hand closed around her cup as she eyed Levi across the bakery. His old, worn, paint-splattered jeans fit his bottom half as well as his snug T-shirt covered the top. And again, with the unbuttoned flannel and rolled up sleeves. Why’d she have to find his muscled forearms so damn hot?

  She sighed. Didn’t matter how much she thought about Josie’s suggestion, nothing would change the fact she had to leave.

  Chapter 15

  Levi stood as Mallory scooped up her to-go cup and headed back to the customer side of the counter. The petite, redheaded baker was smiling, but she had a bleak look in her eye that he was all too familiar with. And he hadn’t missed the tears she’d brushed away. For all her bravado, whatever her and Mallory had talked about left her shook up.

  “I suppose we better get going and get to work,” Mallory said to her friend. “Thanks for breakfast, and if I don’t see you before, I’ll see you at the festival, right?”

  “Yes. I’ve already got twenty entries for the pie baking contest. Twelve for apple, and eight for pumpkin. Everyone who enters has to bring three pies. One for judging, and two to slice up and sell for the lodge.”

  “Awesome.”

  Josie turned her attention to him. “It was nice to meet you, Levi. I appreciate you two being my guinea pigs.”

  He nodded to both sisters, and thanked Josie for the food before moving ahead of Mallory to get the door. Pitching his voice low, he asked, “Everything okay?”

  She shrugged and glanced back one last time before exiting onto the sidewalk. “She and Nash Riley have a past, but she’s never told me what actually happened between the two of them. She didn’t know he was moving back.”