He was rooted in Cypress for the foreseeable future, and he suspected that if he hurt her he’d have a whole bunch of people to answer to for it. Besides, he couldn’t imagine hanging out with any other woman here. She was here, and it was her home. It might not be his, not yet, but it was the closest he’d ever come to one. He might have to figure all of this out, but he was sure of one thing.
He was going to try his damnedest to not screw this up.
Chapter 16
At seven sharp, Ashlyn opened the front door of Sweet Escape to the tuneful five notes of its signature pop song.
“Ready, boss?” she asked, her voice squeaky with excitement.
Caro’s pulse raced like she’d just run all the way here instead of driving and actually being on the premises for a couple of hours now.
“Ready.” She sucked in a breath, slow and deep, and exhaled. “I don’t think we’ll be busy this early, but—”
Her words were cut off as a wave of customers filed inside. The vendors apparently wanted more than whatever they were selling at the festival themselves, if the buzz of conversation and the beeping of the register was any indication. Jane was grinning as she served them while Caro walked through the dining area greeting everyone.
“Where do you want me?” Tom asked her, tying one of the short green aprons around his waist.
“Do anything Ashlyn tells you to do,” Caro said.
Becky’s little brother grinned as his freckled cheeks turned pink. “If you insist.”
Ashlyn snorted. “Boy, please.”
Tom laughed as he helped her take orders by hand while Jane and Caro worked the counter.
“That guy wasn’t kidding,” one man said around a mouthful of s’mores brownie. “This is fantastic.”
“He told me about the biscotti, miss,” an older woman said. “I have to try the pumpkin walnut biscotti. It sounds amazing.”
Caro felt a thrill as she realized just whom they were talking about. Eli hadn’t been kidding, then.
“Hey, the guy knows what’s good,” Jane said with a wink. “Gotta love him.”
Caro froze, and then jerked herself back into motion. She didn’t love Eli, did she? No. They were dating. They’d only known each other for a couple of weeks. She liked him, though. A lot, and today’s evidence of his glowing endorsement was only one reason.
“Good morning,” Eli said as he shouldered his way into the bakery. “How is everybody this morning?”
“You were so right, buddy,” a different man said. “This place is phenomenal.”
Eli looked at Caro, that crooked grin on his face, and nodded. “Yeah, it is.”
The next hour went by in a snap, and by eight o’clock she’d lost track of Eli. She could see foot traffic starting to build out on the street in front, and bit her lower lip as she debated her next move. There were booths set up across the street and all through the square. The day was bright already, and between the decorations and the number of people it looked like the festival was off to a fantastic start. Even if it hadn’t officially started, anyway.
“Are you going to head out there now?” Jane asked her.
“I’m not sure.” Caro answered. “The festival doesn’t start until nine.”
Jane peered through one of the picture windows. “It doesn’t look to me like that matters much right now.”
Caro had to agree with her. “How’s our inventory?” she called over to Ashlyn.
“We’ve got this, boss,” Ashlyn answered from behind the bake cases. “You and Jane have everything organized back there so Tom and I can just sell, sell, sell.”
Caro grinned as Becky’s little brother nodded enthusiastically. “Okay, good. I’ll do a sweep and report back.”
Jane shook her head at her. “Go get yourself a latte, if you can manage the crowds in the coffee shop, and head over to the Sales Center.”
“Why would I go to the Sales Center?”
“Because that’s probably where you’ll find Eli.”
Caro waved a hand but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Oh, I wasn’t looking for him.”
“Yeah, you weren’t,” Ashlyn chimed in.
Caro clicked her tongue and walked outside with the next wave of customers happily munching on their treats.
She found Eli out in front of the Sales Center, surrounded by people and talking to them like he’d known them forever. He was really good with people, but she suspected he didn’t think so. They were certainly drawn to him, men and women alike. And kids, apparently. As she watched, a little boy who looked about four years old tugged on Eli’s pant leg. Eli held up a hand to the guy he’d been talking to and crouched down in front of the boy. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Eli was laughing and the boy wore a big smile.
As she neared, he lifted his head and his eyes brightened. “Hey there, Cupcake.”
The other people turned to look at her, and a couple of them chuckled.
“It’s the woman from the bakery,” one of the women said. “Good one, Eli.”
Eli shrugged. “So how are things at Sweet Escape?”
Caro knew why he’d worded his question that way. He was branding the bakery in front of the visitors and residents.
“Great, thanks,” she said. “Our new fall items are really popular.”
“The pumpkin walnut biscotti, I’ll bet.” He faced the others again. “Have you tried the biscotti? Man, I’m telling you.”
“I had one of the brownies,” a woman said. “I’ve never tasted anything like it.”
“Just wait until you try the scones,” another woman said. “They’re perfect if you want something a little less sweet.”
Caro was flushed from the praise and from Eli’s crystal-sugar gaze on her. She mouthed a thank you to him and he nodded.
He put his hand on one guy’s shoulder. “Are you guys hanging around for a hayride? They start at ten.”
“Yeah, the hayride!” The little boy hopped up and down and his mother smiled down at him. “Sure, we can.”
Eli reached out for Caro’s hand. “We’ll be taking it later, won’t we?” She nodded and he drew her closer. “Now I promised this lady a cup of coffee, so if you’ll excuse me?”
The others all nodded, making sounds of agreement as Eli led her back across the street.
“You promised me a cup of coffee?” she teased.
“How else was I going to get out of there? Besides, I know you want a cup of coffee.”
“And you know what I want now?”
That heat flared in his gaze and then he laughed. “Nah. That one is too easy.”
“That was pretty smooth back there, Graham Cracker,” she said as they queued up in line at the coffee shop. “You’re good at that.”
“At what?”
“Talking to people. Making friends.”
“They’re not friends. They’re prospects.”
“If you say so. Seemed to me like you were all getting along.”
“Yeah, we were. It’s no hardship talking to the folks who come out to Cypress. They’re already half sold on the place before I open my mouth.”
“When they see your pretty face, you mean?”
He laughed. “Hey, I can’t help it if I’m beautiful.”
She smacked his shoulder. “Go on, charmer. Lettie had you pegged all right.”
“Lettie fell under my charms, that’s true.” He leaned closer to whisper in her ear. “I’m not going to let her in on my secret, though.”
“You have a secret? I thought you were an open book.”
“Maybe secret isn’t the right word. A surprise, maybe.”
“Ooh, now you’ve got me.”
He took her hand again and laced his fingers through hers. “I’ll remind you of that later.”
***
Eli ate his lunch from one of the food trucks lining one side of the town square. The fish tacos were fantastic, and he made a mental note to grab a couple more and take them to Caro. Who
knew when she would allow herself to take a real break. The festival was packed and the sky had a few well-placed clouds to keep the attendees from melting into puddles on the hay-strewn sidewalks.
Grabbing a cup of coffee with Caro had been fun, but he knew she was too wrapped up in the bakery to give him any more time than that. When he stopped by to take her some lunch he would look into giving her a hand. If what he’d been hearing all morning was true, she’d be sold out long before she closed her doors. He planned to be there when that happened, and then drag her outside to have a little fun.
“Hey there, Eli,” Claire Chapman called.
Eli looked up to see Claire and her husband Jake walking toward him.
“Hey,” he said in answer.
“We haven’t officially met,” Jake said, sticking out his hand. “Jake Chapman.”
“Eli Graham, Jake.” He shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Jake nodded. “Have you seen my brother? Rick, that is.”
Eli shook his head. “Last I saw him he was out by the bounce house with Nick.”
Nick was his boss’s little boy. The kid was pretty cool, as far as little kids went. Eli found he liked it when Rick’s wife Harmony brought the boy by the Sales Center for a visit. Nick looked like a mini-me of Rick, and it was always surprising to see how his usually-unflappable boss got almost silly with his son.
“I figured.” Jake ran his gaze over him and Eli did likewise. The guy looked a lot like his brother. Both his brothers, actually. “So when are you going to come out to the Adventure Trails?”
“Not sure,” Eli said. “I’ve been thinking about it, though.”
Jake nodded. “I saw you out running around town, so I figured you could use the challenge.”
Claire smacked Jake in the shoulder in that oddly feminine way that Caro had done to him before. “Not everyone needs to cheat death every day, Jake.”
“No death-cheating required.” Jake splayed a hand on his chest. “If you need something a little more tame, my sister Cassie runs the Kids’ programs.”
Eli chuckled. “I think I can handle anything you dish out, man.”
Jake’s eyes sparkled. “Hey, I like this guy.”
Claire smiled. “I thought you might. He’s got your…oh, what’s the word?”
“Self-confidence?” Eli provided.
“Charisma?” Jake offered.
Claire snorted. “Inflated sense of self.”
Eli and Jake both laughed at that.
“So how are the fish tacos?” Jake asked.
“Really good. Everything I’ve eaten today has been great.”
“Especially the biscotti from Sweet Escape,” Claire said, rubbing her round belly. “Jake bought enough to get me through the day.”
“I bought enough to get you through the week,” Jake said.
Claire shook her head. “The baby wants what the mama wants, and I likes my pumpkin spice.”
“It’s a good thing you grabbed some while you could,” Eli said. “I think Caro will be sold out of just about everything pretty soon.”
Claire beamed. “I’m so happy for her. She’s worked so hard to get that business off the ground. She could take more time off, though.”
“I agree.” Eli winked. “Hopefully I can get her to just enjoy the festival when she’s free.”
“You know, I think you’re good for her,” Claire said. “She could use some fun in her life.”
She brightened as she glanced across the street. “Oh, there’s Tammy.” She grabbed Jake’s hand. “See you later, Eli!”
Claire dragged her husband over toward Tammy Chapman, where she stood with her husband Ben and a baby stroller. Eli finished his lunch and wiped his hands, his mind on what Claire had said. Caro had told him he was good for her, too. He did bring some fun into her life, but he couldn’t help but wonder if there might be more to it than that.
Before he could get too introspective, he found the little boy he’d seen earlier today standing at his table.
“Hi, Eli,” he said.
“Hi, Josh.” He had a knack for remembering names, which served him very well in his line of work. “Where are your parents?”
Josh pointed to the right and Eli saw that his mother and father stood close by at the taco truck, their eyes on their son. They both waved at him and Eli returned the gesture. He looked back at Josh. The little boy was digging into a box of chicken nuggets.
“No tacos, Josh?”
Josh wrinkled his nose. “No.”
“So you’re a chicken nugget man, then.”
Josh grinned. “Yep.”
His parents came over to join them. “Josh, are you bothering Eli?” his mother asked.
“Not at all.” Eli smiled. “Have you been in the bounce house?”
Josh nodded. “Oh, yeah.”
“What about the kids’ course over at the Adventure Trails?”
Josh’s eyes went round but his mother shook her head.
“Oh, no,” she said.
“Come on,” Josh’s dad said. “Josh can handle it. Right, Eli?”
“I believe he can. They’re completely supervised. Very safe.”
“I don’t know…” the mom said.
“Honey, if Eli says Josh can handle it,” the dad began. “That he’ll be safe? We can trust that.”
Eli couldn’t say anything to that. He simply nodded and returned Josh’s high-five before the little boy went off with his parents to eat their lunch at a nearby table. These people he’d known for just a few days, a family he was trying to sell on Cypress, trusted what he said? Jesus, no one had ever said anything like that to him before.
Grabbing up his trash, he dumped it in the closest can and started walking toward the bakery. He was making connections here in Cypress, like Bill Chapman had wanted and Eli fully expected. He’d always been the one who didn’t make waves. Who became whatever his foster parents needed him to be. A people-pleaser.
He was all charm and shine, and had a knack for figuring out just what people needed from him. He gave it, too. Now that he was a grown-ass man, he knew how desperate he’d been to find his own place. Now he used his particular skills to make his living. As for a life? Maybe he’d try to have one of those someday.
For now, he’d make his money and make connections. Family? He’d never had one. Friends? Hell, he’d never really had any of them either.
He pulled open the door to Sweet Escape and heard the now-familiar chime. He chose to focus on the one connection that was suddenly the most important right now.
“Hey there, Cupcake.”
She turned to him and smiled, and his lungs seized. He wouldn’t try to figure out why he felt better just breathing in her space.
It had to be the sugar.
Chapter 17
“This is Caro Richmond taking a break?” he teased her.
She stretched out on his couch and grinned, looking more relaxed than he’d seen her in several days. “This is Caro Richmond having fun.”
“You’re having fun with me.” He gave her a quick kiss and clinked his wine glass to hers. “I had a lot of it with you today.”
“I liked hanging out with you at the festival, Eli.”
“Yeah? I was surprised I was able to drag you away.”
“Sweet Escape officially sold out around two o’clock, in no small part thanks to you and your not-so-subtle promotion. And since Jane and I have less prep to do on Saturdays, we finished up and called it a day.”
He shook his head. “My promo might have had something to do with it, but I think at least some of the thanks goes to Claire Chapman’s little bundle.”
Caro shrugged. “Claire likes her sweets. That’s for sure. She’s a great baker too, but I think I actually managed to make something she couldn’t. Not yet, anyway.”
“She’s your biggest fan.” He winked, a crooked smile on his face. “Well, maybe your second biggest.”
She blushed at his backhanded confession, but he c
ouldn’t tell if she believed him or not. “It was nice just walking around and enjoying the festival, though. I don’t think I would have done that if it wasn’t for you.”
That surprised him. “Why not? You’ve got a lot of friends in Cypress.”
“But they have their families now, most of them anyway. Or families on the way.”
He tilted his head and blinked at her. “Your family was there too, Caro. Your sister seems nice. And I thought your nieces were too cute. Liberty and Justice. Lawyers in the making, I’ll bet.”
“If my dad has his way.” Her gaze drifted to the contents of her wine glass. “I don’t get to see them half as much as I’d like to.”
There was something in her voice, a wistfulness that he’d never heard before. It held a note of sadness, too. Like the time he’d found her asleep in the swing out by the lake.
“Your sister lives up in Orlando, right?”
“Just north of it. My brother Robbie lives up that way too. They both work at the family firm in downtown Orlando.”
“You have a brother?”
“Two, actually. Phillip is a law professor.”
Eli let out a low whistle and gave a nod. Wow. She came from a family of highly successful people. She deserved every bit of success she’d carved out for herself. That was for sure.
“You live at your parents’ place,” he held up a hand to stop her when she looked like she was going to correct him. “Sorry, above your parents’ place. They don’t come for those dreaded family dinners you told me about?”
A shadow of a smile lifted her lips. “They have their lives, Eli. They’ve almost always had lives separate from mine.” She shrugged again. “I was a surprise.”
“They’re older than you?”
“Way older.”
He took the wine glass from her hand and set it and his on the coffee table. “You were a surprise for me too, Cupcake.”
She folded her legs beneath her and turned to face him. “I was?”
“Yep. A good one, too.” Wrapping an arm around her, he drew her closer. “Unexpected, and just what I needed.”
Her eyes were that dark shade of blue he loved, the color he noticed they turned right before she kissed him. He flattered himself that he was able to drag her mind from her slightly-separate siblings.
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