“I work for Henry Aldridge. I have to be up way before the sun rises. I’m pretty sure he never sleeps and hopes that I’ll join his cult of delusional droids.” She laughs. “That’s never going to happen. In any case, I’m going to live eighteen months free of him.”
Yesterday, I thought I liked her. Today, I want her to be my best friend. Such a shame that she’s not staying with us.
“Here, this is my number,” I say, giving her my card. “Text me yours when you have the time.”
She produces her phone out of the pocket of her jeans, and I receive a text almost immediately. Then, she turns to look at me. “Quick pointers, claim the master suite for yourself, if there is one. I’m not sure how many bedrooms they have but get the best room.”
I nod. What I don't tell her is that I’m not going to live in the house. The lawyer mentioned that we have to reside on the property, he didn’t specify that we have to live together under the same roof. I’d rather camp outside than share the same space with those guys.
Living with my older brothers while growing up was a nightmare. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live with six guys. And not just any guys. The Aldridge boys.
We order our coffees. She offers to pay, handing a black credit card to the guy behind the register. “Merkel Resorts is paying,” she announces.
“Then, we should visit My Cookie Jar and buy some pastries. They have the best blueberry muffins and the yummiest buttery croissants in the Pacific Northwest,” I suggest, missing Carter more than usual.
Waking up early and getting pastries was his favorite thing, no matter where he lived or visited. Somedays, he’d buy a dozen croissants and eat them in one sitting. Carter liked to live life without reservations or limitations. That’s something we had in common; we tried to live our best day, every day.
I look at Sophia, and I think he would have loved her. He’d be giving her pointers on how to tease Henry. It was one of his favorite hobbies. We wait for her coffee and my tea latte in silence. Then, we march next door to My Cookie Jar. When we push the door open, the bell above it rings.
The place hasn’t changed much. The floor inside is a black and white checkerboard of tiles that show the wear of several decades’ worth of customers, walking in and out of the shop. Bagels and muffins dominate the display, but my favorites are there waiting for me to buy them, the chocolate croissants.
The air is more delicious than I remember. Somehow, the aroma captures everything good in here. I wish I could stay all day trying all their pastries.
“These muffins better be good,” Sophia says. “We should figure out a way to have them delivered to the hotel.”
“Waiting for them is part of the experience,” I tell her. “The line moves quickly, and they’re still warm from the oven when they hand them to you. As you take your first bite, they melt in your mouth.”
“Would you like me to leave you two alone?” she asks with a laugh. “You are eye-fucking the pastries.”
“Wait until you taste them. They are orgasmically delicious,” I say, licking my fingers while I imagine eating them.
“Try a vibrator or Tinder,” she suggests. “They’re much more effective than hot pastries, and this is coming from a Latina who loves her pan dulce.”
I laugh and shake my head. Before I can talk, her phone buzzes, and she grunts. “Ugh, can he leave me alone for a few minutes?”
“The boss?”
She nods and asks, “What’s the name of this place again?”
“My Cookie Jar,” I tell her, while she’s typing on her phone.
Henry has never been an easy person to deal with, and I imagine that, as a boss, he’s even more difficult.
I’m about to say something when I hear the ladies in front of us speak. “William’s funeral was yesterday, and no one was invited.”
“Are you sure?” the one next to her asks.
“Yes, the reverend confirmed it earlier today. The only ones in attendance were his sons.”
“They’re just like William. We’re not good enough to be invited to their celebrations,” the other woman says.
Sophia and I look at each other. The sons didn’t want to be at that funeral either. I’m glad I skipped it.
“Did you hear anything else?” one of them asks intrigued. “What’s going to happen to the main house? The factory is still running, but I heard they’re going to fire everyone before they sell it—or was it after?”
“There’s a rumor that they’re closing the resort and selling everything he owned. Those men are greedier than their father. They were always too good to be around town,” the other answers. “What if they increase the rent or… I heard they almost fired Nick.”
“No one cares much about him, but if his job is in jeopardy, what’s going to happen with everyone else? He’s been managing that hotel for five years on his own.”
That explains why this Nick guy is such an arrogant asshole. He pretty much owns the place.
“It was the doctor who threatened to fire him. Apparently one of the brothers is part of a gang and came in all bloody. Nick also messed with the doctor's mistress.”
Mistress? I mouth to Sophia, who is shaking in laughter.
A gang? Vance works for a security company … or he owns it. I’m not sure since everything that has to do with him is classified.
“Yesterday, there was an uptight woman strolling around town with a baby. Someone said that’s the baby mama of one of them. She didn’t have a ring, though.”
I turn to look at Sophia and mouth, Hey, baby mama. She rolls her eyes.
“I tweeted it. You have to get into Twitter.”
Sophia arches an eyebrow and pulls out her phone. She starts typing until her face brightens and mouths, This is ridiculous.
She hands me the phone.
First look at the Aldridge family. New blood for the town, or will they tear it down?
I can’t help but giggle along with Sophia. The two women turn around and look at us. One of them is tall and slender. Her hair is gray, her eyes are the bulging, staring kind that always seem about to jump from their sockets.
“Oh, you’re the women who came with them.” She crosses her arms and gives me a glare. “So, what are you doing in town?”
The bell rings, announcing someone has arrived. I turn around, and it’s Hayes. Next to him is Henry.
“Hey,” Hayes greets me, as he reaches us. When I tilt my head toward the lady, he looks at her, and then lowers his voice, pressing his lips to my ear and making me shiver. “Is everything okay?”
“As okay as it can be when you’re not welcome,” I whisper, trying not to breathe him in but failing. I love that fresh, citrus scent mixed with sandalwood that’s all Hayes.
“Don’t pay them any attention,” he says.
That’s easy to do if you’re here just for the weekend, but for more than a year… Baker’s Creek is a very small town, and everyone knows your business. And apparently, they have Twitter.
“You two look a lot like William,” gray hair, bulging eyes says. “Are you here to fire everyone?”
“Hayes Aldridge,” he introduces himself. “This is my brother, Henry.”
“Hayes,” she repeats. “The doctor, and you’re the hotel owner.”
Well, she’s been doing her homework. “I’m Anna Tattle, and this is Jane Heywood.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Tattle,” he says.
Sophia and I look at each other, and before we both burst into laughter, Hayes and Henry grab us and pull us to them. I press my face against Hayes’ solid chest, trying to control the laughter.
“Well, I heard you guys were in town to bury your father. It’s such a shame that we couldn’t attend his wake.”
“He requested to have a family-only life celebration, Mrs. Tattle,” Henry responds. When I turn back around, I notice that Sophia is gone, and it’s just the three of us in the middle of an interrogation. “We tried our best to follow his last wishes.”
>
“What’s going to happen to the town?” she asks. “We keep hearing rumors about you tearing down the resort and building a brand-new one under the Merkel Hotels and Spas. We heard that you’re selling the factory next month, but before it happens, you’ll be firing all the employees.”
Where did she hear the rumors? I’m astounded by the way she twisted everything, and yet, she’s not too far from the truth.
Hayes is the first one to speak. “You can’t possibly believe all those rumors. We’re not sure how we’re going to handle the transition from our father’s administration to ours, but I assure you, it’ll be done smoothly—or as smoothly as possible.”
“Is it true that you’re buying the medical practice?” the other lady asks. “We need a doctor in town. My husband had a stroke a few years back, and we’ve been driving to Portland to see the specialist. My granddaughter helped us, but not everyone is as lucky as we are to have someone like her.”
“How is your husband doing?” I ask, wondering if he recovered, and if he’s getting the medical attention that he needs. We should open a hospital here. “Is there something we can do? I can check his blood pressure, maybe—”
“Blaire,” Hayes interrupts me, shaking his head. “We’re looking into the needs of the town. As soon as we have a plan, we’ll give you more details.”
“I told you they weren’t as bad as their father, Anna.” Jane Heywood sighs with relief.
“Got the goodies,” Sophia steps in, showing us two white paper bags with the logo of the bakery.
How and when did she do that?
“Let’s head out. We have a meeting in twenty minutes, Mr. Aldridge,” she says, pushing through the crowd, as if she owns the place.
“If you’ll excuse us, we have to leave. It was nice to meet you, Mrs. Heywood and Mrs. Tattle,” Hayes excuses us.
“I hope the others are single. My daughter could use a hunk like that one to marry,” one of them says as we leave.
“The town girls are going to be hounding the new blood,” says the other.
Sophia and I look at each other and grin. I’m not sure about her, but I can’t wait to watch the parade of women trying to snatch themselves an Aldridge.
Once we’re out and away from the townies, I say, “And the town gossip begins.”
“What the fuck was that?” Henry asks.
“The welcoming committee?” I guess.
“And they have Twitter,” Sophia says mockingly and shows him the phone.
“The fuck is this,” he says angrily. “You’re not Mills’ baby mama. How did they get that picture? Fix this Sophia. If this gets in the wrong hands, we're going to have a PR nightmare on our hands.”
“Stop exaggerating!” Sophia says, waving her hand. “They’re harmless. Everything they have in there makes no sense.”
Then Henry laughs. “Hayes, I didn’t know you came back with the missus.”
“What?” I ask, taking the phone.
Doctor Hayes Aldridge is setting up a medical practice, and his wife is lovely. There’s already a picture of us that they must have just taken.
“Yeah, fix this, Sophia,” I agree with Henry. “How do you even fix gossip?”
Sophia laughs. “That’s not part of my duties.” She hands over one of the white paper bags. I ordered muffins and croissants. “Here’s your share. They better be worth the wait.”
“Thank you,” I say, sipping my latte. “I think it’ll be safer if I head to the hotel.”
“We have an appointment with the doctor,” Hayes announces.
“Good luck with that. We have to head back to the resort,” Henry tells Sophia, then turns to Hayes. “Keep me posted about the house. It has to be furnished in twenty-nine days, or we’ll have to sleep on the floor according to Pierce.”
They turn around and walk away.
“Where are you going?” Hayes asks, grabbing my elbow carefully. “You and I have work to do.
“As I said, you and I have an appointment with the good old doctor, and then we’re going to the house. The contractor is going to meet us there. He said he’d be arriving at seven to see what he’ll be working with.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re on your own, Hayes.”
“You agreed to do this with me.”
I blink a couple of times then glare at him. “When?”
“During the meeting,” he explains, “since we both live in San Francisco.”
“That’s impossible. If that had been the case, I would have offered to take over the entire operation. Not work with you. Are you sure?”
He smirks and nods. “You nodded a couple of times and mumbled a few others. Knowing you, you were daydreaming and just nodding yes and no, so we wouldn’t interrupt you.”
Fuck, I knew some day that was going to bite me on the ass. Can I talk myself out of this one?
Seventeen
Blaire
“I refuse to work with you,” I state, handing him my latte and looking inside of the paper bag. The pastries are getting cold by the second. Sophia didn’t order chocolate croissants. I have to tell her all about them, but I pull out a butter one.
Carefully, I break a corner, toss it into my mouth, and moan as it melts like fresh butter with vanilla flavoring.
Hayes is staring at me, and I’m not sure if he’s in pain or in lust.
“What?” I ask, touching the corner of my mouth dusting the crumbles.
“You just made your sex face while eating that piece of bread,” he says uncomfortably. “I’m trying not to drag you to the hotel and fuck you. It’s been too long since I’ve had you, which is not how I want things to go between us. But if I could, I’d eat you right now.”
“It’s a good thing that I’m leaving, and we won’t see each other for a month,” I say, trying to claim back my latte.
He lifts his hand high, and I glare at him. “Stupid gigantic man, give me my drink.”
“Listen, we don’t have time for games, Blaire,” he states, drinking from my latte and scrunching his face. “Tea?”
“Yeah, I’m trying to cut my caffeine intake,” I inform him and grunt when he takes part of my croissant.
“Look,” he says, talking with a mouth full. “Fuck, I forgot how much I loved these pastries.”
“They are better than an orgasm,” I state.
He bends over, his lips almost touching my ear. “I should refresh your memory, Love. Nothing is better than an orgasm.”
“Stop,” I order, taking a step back, before I’m the one pulling on his collar and kissing him mindlessly. “We should agree on a few things, like we don’t talk about our past or sex. EVER.”
“Sex is one of your favorite subjects, and we never talked about it, just acted—unless you mean the dirty talk,” he mumbles, tracing his lips along my jaw and making me shiver.
“Hayes,” I say, my voice quivering just like my insides.
“Fine, let’s go,” he says. “We have an appointment.”
“You do that, I’ll stay close to the bakery, so I can eat my weight in cookies and croissants,” I say dismissing him.
“You can have another muffin tomorrow. Right now, we have to go, Blaire.”
“Nope,” I say, looking into the bag and pulling out a muffin. “My flight leaves later today. I have stuff to do.”
“You can’t leave. We have a lot to do. You heard those ladies. Everyone is worried about their future. You were the one who insisted that we needed to do this for them.”
“So, what? Now I’m stuck with you until—”
“Dear, I forgot to ask. Are you two dating, or are you married?” Mrs. Tattle asks. “You know how much I hate to give the wrong information.”
No, we don’t. We just met you.
She’s like a gossip journalist; we’re lucky she doesn’t snap a picture of us while asking questions. I work hard to hide the laugh as I picture her in the middle of the street in a few years asking, “Hayes, when are you marrying? Hayes, are you ever going
to date one of the girls from this town?” But it’s impossible not to laugh, so I end up coughing.
Hayes pats my back. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m perfectly fine,” I say, gasping for air.
Jane Heywood says, “You two look adorable together. How long have you two been together?”
“Well, you know…” Hayes says, giving her a sly smile.
I could stay quiet, but if I’m going to be here, it’ll be fun to see the single available women try to snatch an Aldridge.
“He’s single,” I state, and then add, “All the Aldridge boys are single.”
Without saying another word, I head toward the doctor’s office.
“Why did you do that?” Hayes asks, when he catches up to me. “I had a great way out. Didn’t you hear the shit about the women parading and trying to catch the single guys?”
“Tell the truth?” I ask innocently. “It’s a habit of mine.”
“You did that on purpose, Blaire,” he says in an accusatory tone.
“Oops, I forgot about your imaginary girlfriends. Please, tell me I didn’t become one of them.”
“It was only one, and it was necessary, but I stopped when I met you,” he reminds me. “You could’ve let me have a buffer. Instead, you just put us all, not just me, on the spot.”
“Did I?” I ask innocently.
He bends down, kissing the corner of my lips. “You know what you’re doing, Babe. You’re the sweetest, most giving person I know. Also, the most vindictive.”
“Keep your lips away from me,” I order flustered, trying to control my body that’s zinging after his touch. “We’re not a couple, and I don’t plan on covering for you.”
“You can’t help your evil side. I can’t help wanting just a little taste,” he says. “If that sends a message to the town that I’m taken, well…”
“Are you taken?” I ask curiously, because I know the lawyer didn’t mention a wife, but what if there’s someone else?
“Wouldn’t you like to know.”
And I do, because, in another reality, he never left me. In that reality, our love never died. Today, though, in this reality, he’s just a stranger I want to kiss.
Loved You Once Page 13