“Thanks. I hope you’re right.” Cassie played with the hoop earrings in her ears as she tried hard to not make eye contact with Jordan. She couldn’t do it, and then fought hard with the urge to push him outside her bedroom. She didn’t want him to see inside these four walls, even though she knew there was no harm in just looking. It wasn’t as if seeing her bedroom would give Jordan the impression Cassie wanted him in here too. She couldn’t handle being with him. That one time had been a mistake Cassie was now paying for. Her head and her heart were telling her two different things, confusing the hell out of her.
Jake came bouncing into the bedroom, startling Cassie out of her thoughts, the smile on his face as big as the moon. Jake was always so eager and ecstatic to see his father, and she had to admit it brought tears to her eyes. She still couldn’t believe after all this time, and after everything that had happened between her and Jordan, the two of them could manage to put differences and feelings aside to parent their child together.
“I am right.” There was a sparkle in his eyes as he said it. “How could I not be right? You ooze awesomeness.”
Cassie was flattered by his words; it was as if he knew exactly what she needed to hear this morning.
She felt her cheeks go even redder than before, and the minimal amount of make-up she applied to her cheeks wasn’t doing anything to hide how much she was blushing.
Jordan’s focus soon changed to Jake, whisking him up into his muscular arms. Jake enfolded his small arms around his dad’s neck while they followed Cassie out of her bedroom and into the short foyer near the front door. She replaced her pink fluffy slippers with black ballet flats, and then continued into the kitchen, finishing off the remaining coffee left in her mug before placing it into the dishwasher.
Still carrying Jake, Jordan carefully placed him down onto a kitchen stool so that he was facing his mom, still wearing a smile on his face.
“So I’ve written down the address to Caleb’s house for you.” Cassie pointed at the notepad sitting on the counter. “You don’t need to stay there the entire time. Sierra knows you’re busy today. She’s cool with you dropping him Jake and then leaving.”
Cassie checked the time on the silver watch she was wearing on her wrist. “Shoot! I’ve got to go. I don’t want to be late meeting my new boss.”
She blew Jake a kiss in which he returned, and then she was out the door as Jordan called out to her, “Break a leg.”
But Jordan had a feeling her new boss wouldn’t be nearly as bad as Cassie was anticipating.
The morning had half passed and much to the dismay of Cassie and the other workers, the new owner hadn’t stopped by for a visit yet, leaving Cassie feeling very antsy about their drop in. His or her absence was doing nothing to calm her jittery nerves, wishing they would waltz through the door already just so she could stop feeling like her whole career was hanging on the line.
From where she was standing behind the front counter of the shop, Cassie couldn’t help but peer over at the door, watching the bells jingle when a customer came in, expecting it to be the new owner.
Cassie soon gave up wondering where they were, realizing it wasn’t getting her anywhere. She had a job to do, and it probably looked better if she was actually doing it when the person appeared so they could see how committed she was—although with the way she looked right now, with flour smeared across her apron and little bits of dough plastered in her hair, it was fairly obvious she had been busily working.
Soon, Cassie was getting lost in her baking as she hummed along to the words of a Lady Antebellum song playing in the background on the store’s sound system. She didn’t hear her coworker Ashley trying to get her attention until she was tapped her on the shoulder, shaking her out of her daydreams.
“He’s here.”
“Who’s here? Is it the new owner? Are you sure it’s him?” Cassie’s sky blue eyes were wide with anticipation as she brushed her hands on her apron, specks of flour floating to the floor as she rushed out the door heading for the front counter, but she didn’t quite make it that far.
Ashley followed behind her in a hustle, needing to get Cassie’s attention before she went any further. She grabbed her arm, pulling her back before she went through the pink swinging door. “No, he’s not here,” she said in a rush.
Jordan popped through the door leading to the back of the bakery.
“Jordan is,” Ashley mumbled.
“Jordan! What are you doing here?” Cassie was surprised by his appearance, and alarming questions popped into her head. Was something wrong? “Is Jake okay?”
She felt as though her heart was going to erupt out of her chest.
“Jake is fine. He’s playing with Caleb.”
“Oh, good.” Cassie’s nerves calmed down, her breathing returning to normal. “Wait, why are you here then?”
Jordan pushed his hands deep into the front pockets of his jeans, and he could almost feel the perspiration forming on his forehead.
He knew he needed to spill the beans; he just didn’t know how, whether or not she was going to like it, or how she would react to his news.
It was now or never. “The new owner—you’re looking at him.”
Cassie was speechless, which prompted Jordan to say something else.
“I bought Patty-Cake Bakery.”
Cassie couldn’t quite get her head around the fact that Jordan was telling her he owned the bakery she worked at. Did that make him her boss now?
“Oh, wow! Wait until I tell the other girls.”
Cassie forgot Ashley was standing right behind her. The enthusiasm in her voice sounded like she could break out in song at any moment. She brushed past Cassie and Jordan, heading toward the front part of the bakery.
“So, you’re the boss?” Cassie got straight to the point, folding her arms over her apron. She couldn’t move whether she wanted to or not; Jordan was standing in her way, obstructing her path to freedom, not that she wanted to.
“I wouldn’t say that. I want you to run it, and I would be like a silent partner.”
“You want me to run it?” Cassie couldn’t believe his words.
“I do. That’s why I bought the place. I did it for you. I knew you wouldn’t take my money, so this way I thought you couldn’t say no.”
“And what will you do?” Cassie probed.
“Nothing. It’s like I said—I’m the silent partner. I have my own career. This is your business.”
Cassie didn’t believe him. “Well, it’s very generous of you to buy the bakery for me, but you really don’t want anything in return?”
Jordan cocked one eyebrow. “Well, maybe I want one thing.”
“Of course you do. So what is it? What do you want?”
“It’s nothing too big or anything. I just want a date.”
“A date? With me?” Cassie sputtered with wide eyes.
“No, with one of your coworkers. Do you think you could hook me up with Ashley? She seems nice, and she’s pretty.” Jordan winked at Cassie, but he could see she wasn’t finding his jesting funny when she shoved him in his chest.
“That’s not funny, Jordan. You play football; you’re not a comedian. Don’t try and make jokes when you’re clearly not very good at it.”
“I’m kidding. Of course I want a date with you. There’s no one else I would rather go out with than you.” He extended his hand out, gently touching the side of Cassie’s face with a stroke as he pushed some hair out of her face that had escaped the hair net she was wearing.
Cassie brushed him off, refusing to be distracted by the more pressing matter.
“I...I can’t.”
She walked through to the front part of the shop as Jordan followed behind her.
“Why not?”
To Cassie’s dismay, Jordan wasn’t giving up.
“Well, why did you decide to buy the bakery for me anyway?” Cassie tried to turn the conversation around in her favor.
“It’s not a crime to do a nic
e thing for the mother of my son. I knew you weren’t going to take my money. And don’t change the subject. Why can’t you go out with me? It’s just one date. No strings attached.”
Besides, we’ve already had the make-up sex. The least you could do is go out on a date with me, Jordan thought to himself.
“Are you sure about that?” There was too much history between them to have a date that was some meaningless night out together.
“I am if it means you’ll actually go out with me tonight.”
Cassie didn’t have much of a choice. She knew he wasn’t going to give up on the matter.
She turned away from the coffee machine for a moment to face Jordan, who had slipped back in front of the counter where the customers could sit, and leaned in toward him so the other patrons and staff couldn’t hear their conversation. She didn’t need people talking about her behind her back. She got enough of that already.
“Okay, I will go out with you, but it is not a date. I’m just returning the kind gesture and saying thank you at the same time.”
Jordan didn’t care if he looked corny, and in a split second, his demeanor changed and a huge smirk appeared on his face. “Then it’s not a date. I will be at your place tonight at six.” He looked around the shop. “Enjoy your new business venture. I’m sure you’ll make one heck of a boss.”
Boss? Ah, crap! It finally dawned on her that she was now the boss. Patty-Cake Bakery was officially hers under the strangest of circumstances. Of course she had dreamed of one day owning and running her very own bakery; she just hadn’t counted on it being today or having her ex-boyfriend leap in and buy her the place. She supposed she shouldn’t have been so readily accepting of his proposition, but she didn’t see any other choice. She didn’t think Jordan would back down.
Then just like that, she watched Jordan walk out the door, and despite recent revelations, Cassie got back to work, because she still had a job to do and cakes to make. She also knew that whether tonight was a date or not, it was certainly going to be one very noteworthy evening.
“Why am I here tonight?” Gabby asked her best friend after arriving at Cassie’s house shortly before five that evening to watch Jake while she went out with Jordan.
“It’s not like you need two people to look after Jake, unless this was one of your secret ploys to get Nick and me talking. ‘Cause if not, I’m sure he’s capable enough to babysit Jake without needing my help.” Gabby scrutinized her immaculately painted fingernails as she spoke. “Do you not trust his capabilities? Is that it? Because I wouldn’t either if I was you. He’s like a man-child. He hasn’t really grown up yet and still plays video games.”
Cassie came out of her walk-in closet shaking her head, wearing a long white skirt with a brown belt attached to the waist.
“It’s not like that at all. I do trust Nick, and he’s not a man-child like you say. A man-child wouldn’t have his own business. I called you before I realized Jake wanted Nick to look after him tonight, because he wanted to play video games with him.”
“Oh? So I’m your choice for babysitting, but not Jake’s. Yeah, that makes me feel a whole lot better.” Gabby pretended to be disheartened. “Now I know Jake likes Nick more than me.”
“I think it’s a boy thing. Sometimes I think he would like to spend more time with Jordan than me. At least I know if you’re here Jake will get to bed on time, and besides, I’m glad you’re here, because I need my best friend’s clear head right now.”
Gabby looked up at Cassie, surprised by what she just heard. “Oh my God! You actually want my straightforward opinions. So would you like me to tell you if I think you’re making the right decision letting Jordan back into your life?”
From her standing position at her dresser, Cassie stared back at Gabby through the mirror. “Do you think I’m making a mistake?”
Gabby shrugged one shoulder. She knew better than to admit her true feelings about her best friend’s baby-daddy. Whether she was making a mistake or not, it wasn’t her place to throw it in her face. Gabby would simply be here to support Cassie, no matter the decisions she chose in life.
She crossed her legs as she sat on Cassie’s bed. “We both knew the inevitable was going to happen eventually. You’ve both known each other basically your entire lives and share a child together. I think we all saw you and Jordan reuniting as a family, but whether or not you can both make it work is up to the two of you. No one can make that decision for you. I will simply be here for you if you ever need to talk.” Gabby stretched out one denim-clad leg, swinging it against the frame of the bed as she grinned at Cassie. “Now, on to more pressing matters; is this what you plan to wear on your date tonight?” She skimmed over Cassie’s choice of clothing.
She spun around in Gabby’s direction and looked down at the long white skirt she was wearing, which she had matched with a sleeveless dusty-pink tank top.
“What’s the matter with what I’m wearing? I already texted Jordan asking whether it was casual or fancy, and he said casual would be fine. I like what I’m wearing.”
“But you could do so much better to show off your amazing assets a little, and show Jordan what he’s been missing since he’s been gone.”
Gabby jumped up off the bed, going into Cassie’s closet and then coming back out showing another ensemble she much preferred to see her best friend wearing.
Cassie shuffled her bare feet along her plush carpeted floor, shaking her head at Gabby’s choice of clothes for her. She pointed at the shorts Gabby was holding in her left hand. “If you love those shorts so much, you may as well take them for yourself, but I think I like that shirt a little more than the one I’m wearing. I think my midriff is about as much as I feel like showing off tonight on my non-date.”
Gabby handed her the pink-and-white plaid tie-front shirt, and Cassie returned to her closet to change.
“How is tonight not a date?” Gabby questioned aloud as she examined the shorts she now owned in the mirror. “I’ve never heard of a date not being a date before, and especially when the two people going out have as much history together as you and Jordan do.”
“I don’t really know how it works, but it isn’t a date,” Cassie replied as she entered her bedroom again wearing the shirt Gabby had picked, which definitely looked better than the first top, “and I’m only going as a thank you to Jordan for his kind act of buying the bakery and making me the boss.”
Gabby gave Cassie a onceover and grinned with a twinkle in her eyes. “Yeah, that looks better, and whatever tonight is, I’m sure you’ll definitely have Jordan’s attraction on you. He probably won’t be able to take his eyes off you all night.”
Cassie didn’t say anything to follow Gabby’s statement. She didn’t know if she was really ready to commit to a relationship with Jordan all over again.
Their conversation was cut short when Cassie overheard Jake’s high-pitched voice coming from the living room, and she asked Gabby if she would go see what he and Nick were up to while she finished getting ready; she still had to apply a little bit of make-up.
Gabby walked out into the living room, where she found her godson and Nick sitting cross-legged on the floor and their eyes fixed to the flat screen in front of them as they played whatever game was going to be the highlight of the night.
“Gee, no wonder you’re not in a relationship right now,” Gabby teased, choosing to take a seat on Cassie’s comfy couch instead. “So why is this game so popular anyway?”
“You can talk,” Nick said without looking away from the game. “I don’t see you in a relationship either. At least I’ve had more girlfriends than you’ve had boyfriends.”
“Whatever.” Gabby brushed Nick off. She wasn’t in the mood to banter with him tonight.
“It’s a great game, Aunt Gabby. You can watch us play. It’s a lot of fun.”
Gabby stayed on the couch watching them play the game, and a little while later, the doorbell rang. She answered it, and Jordan entered the house and stood
in the doorway between the living room and foyer.
Jake dropped his game controller for a second to run into Jordan’s arms and give him a giant hug, but then he went straight back to his game.
“I see his priorities,” Jordan guffawed, sliding his hands down his straight-cut dark blue jeans. His son was more preoccupied with the game than him. Yep, Jake was definitely his son all right.
Gabby had to admit—he polished up okay in his jeans and checkered blue and black western-style shirt. You could take the boy out of the south, but you couldn’t take the south out of the boy.
“Where’s Cassie?”
“You know Cassie—she’s still getting ready,” Gabby answered as she took her position back on the couch.
Jordan rubbed his hands together, standing in one spot. “Same old Cassie as I remember. Always making me wait.”
Jordan couldn’t remember being as anxious as he was right now. He was beginning to think the second time around was more nerve-wracking than the first time he and Cassie got together.
“Yeah, it’s probably why you’re so perfect together,” Nick and Gabby said at the same time, causing Nick to briefly turn his head away from the television screen as his piercing blue eyes locked with Gabby, and for a split second, they shared a moment together. Then Jake’s tiny voice calling his name shook them from their fog and they went back to playing the game.
Jordan wasn’t quite sure what just occurred, but he figured something was definitely going on between his friends.
Cassie soon made an appearance, coming out of her bedroom looking mind-blowingly beautiful.
Jordan was awestruck by the exquisite beauty standing before his eyes. He couldn’t help but notice the brown cowgirl boots she was sporting underneath the pretty white skirt and let out a little chuckle.
Home is Where the Heart is Page 16