My Sweet Valentine Page 5

  “Something smells wonderful.” He smiled as he handed her a small bouquet of daisies.

  “Oh, aren't these beautiful.” She buried her face in the small bundle.

  “They aren't much, just something I picked up at Patty's on the way up here.”

  “Come on and sit down. The food will be ready in a few minutes.” She motioned to a chair at the table. He walked over and sat down. “Mom, turn that thing off and meet our guest. Allen, this is my mother, Patricia.” Sara introduced them once her mother walked over and took the seat next to him.

  “Sara has told us so much about you. I can't thank you enough for helping her out with her car.”

  “It was no problem.” He actually felt himself blush a little.

  “I hear you’re taking her to the Jordan's Christmas party, too,” her sister piped in as she sat in the chair across from him. She folded her legs underneath her and leaned her elbows on the table and stared at him intensely. He nodded and tried to change the subject quickly as he adjusted in the hard chair.

  Sara watched from the corner of her eye as her family tried to give Allen the second degree. Every chance Becca got, she would ask questions about his personal life. She doubted her sister cared that much about his personal life; more likely, she was just trying to get any scoop he might have. Finally, when Sara had set the salad on the table, she'd gotten bored and picked up her phone and had started texting someone.

  “Do you need any help?” he asked, during a lull in conversation.

  “No, just finishing up the rolls. The pot roast pretty much cooks itself.” She looked over her shoulder and smiled at him. He looked very uncomfortable at the small table with her mother and sister. Smiling, she turned back to the oven and pulled out the fresh rolls. She knew he was determined to keep trying with her. Well, if he was serious, he'd just have to make it past the crazy that was her family.

  She'd never seen anyone eat as much as Allen could put away. The first bite he'd taken, he'd closed his eyes and moaned, much like he had with her pie the other night.

  “I've never tasted anything better,” he said as he helped clear the dishes. Her mother was back in her cubbyhole with the computer screen lighting up her face. She didn't exactly know what it was that her mother did on the computer all the time. She was a tax accountant, but Sara doubted she had that much work to keep her tied to the machine that long. Becca had disappeared to her room. The pair of them were pros at avoiding dishes.

  When Allen started rolling up his sleeves, she jumped in. “You don't have to help. I'll take care of these later.” She piled the plates on the countertop.

  “Nonsense. It's the least I can do.” He looked down at her doubting face. “Don't trust me with your good china?”

  She smiled. “It's not that. You're a guest.”

  He shook his head. “My mother would have my hide if I didn't help out after having the best home cooked meal I've eaten since…” He tilted his head. “Well, I guess since I was back home.” He smiled again and started filling up her sink with warm water and soap from the large container of yellow dish soap.

  She watched for a minute as he started scrubbing the dishes then walked over and grabbed a towel. “Fine, but I'll dry and put them away.”

  They stood in the small space and worked quickly. It felt nice to have someone to help out. It didn't hurt that every time their arms would brush or their hands would touch, she felt a burst of heat radiate through her. The spark would shoot up her arms and travel through her insides quickly. It was like touching a live wire, something she'd done once as a child. She'd been with Allison and two other girls. They'd decided to walk to the edge of town and see if they could sneak into an old barn they'd heard was haunted. None of them had known the fence surrounding the place was electric to keep the cows in the field. It had been just a quick painless jolt, like what she felt every time Allen touched her.

  “Would you like a cup of coffee?” She dried her hands and dusted her slacks off.

  “Sounds great. You mentioned cheesecake?” He walked over and sat at the table with a child’s grin on his face.

  “I suppose you'd like a large piece?” She pulled out the pan with her latest trial cake. It was an old recipe, but with a new twist. There was chocolate swirled around the top, and inside were two layers, one dark layer of mint chocolate and one of her normal cheesecake recipe. She set the plate down in front of him and nibbled on her lip and waited as he picked up his fork and carefully broke off a piece.

  When he put the cake into his mouth, she watched his lips. A memory flashed behind her eyes of how those lips felt on her own. Trying not to close her eyes and moan, she moved her eyes back up to his and realized he was watching her with curiosity written all over his face.

  “All I can say is that I've never had anything better. I want you to promise me that if you need a taste tester, you’ll call me first.” He scooped up another forkful.

  “Really? It's good?” She waited. He looked up at her and set his fork down.

  “Don't tell me you haven't tried this yet.” When she shook her head, he scooped up another forkful and held it out to her.

  “Trust me. I've eaten my fair share of cheesecake, being from a family that loves their desserts, but this is by far the best I've ever had.”

  She kept her eyes on him as she leaned down and took his fork into her mouth. When the richness hit her, it melted in her mouth and she smiled. Then she saw the heat in his eyes and noticed that he was watching her lips as she licked them for any crumbs. Time and space seemed to stop. Sounds came to a halt and even her heart seemed to take a break. How is it that he could do this to her with just one look?

  Her mother's cough broke the spell. She'd forgotten she was sitting in the corner, witness to the event. When Sara looked over, her mother was still looking toward the computer screen. She blinked a few times to clear her mind of Allen and the images her mind had just conjured up.

  “Mom, would you like a slice of this cheesecake?” Her mother turned to her and smiled.

  “No, dear. I'll have some later. Thank you.” She turned back to her computer.

  Allen continued to enjoy his piece of cake. She was surprised to see that it was almost gone. By the time she sat next to him with a small piece, his plate was clean and he leaned back in his chair and watched her nibble on her cake.

  They talked about the bakery and Christmas. When he mentioned that he'd finished all his shopping and had sent all his gifts out already, she couldn't help being impressed. She'd only gotten her mother's gift so far. She still had a half dozen people to buy for.

  “Do you have a large family?” She leaned back and took a sip of her coffee. It was lukewarm, but she didn't mind.

  He shook his head. “Just my folks and my sister. My grandparents died when I was young. I have some cousins in Texas but have never really been close to them.”

  “Is your sister older or younger?” She realized she didn't know much about him.

  “Younger by two years.” He smiled. “Married her high school sweetheart. Jake went to the same boot camp as I did.” She watched a frown cross his lips. “He was stationed just a few clicks from where I was in Iraq.” He smiled. “They have a four-year-old and a two-year-old. Boys, both of them.” He pulled out his phone. “She sent this last week.”

  When he was done flipping through his pictures, he turned his phone towards here. Two smiling faces looked back at her. They had on matching pajamas and were sitting in front of a large Christmas tree. They shared that smile with Allen, the eyes too. But instead of dark brown curly hair, they had bright white hair, bordering on translucent.

  “They're beautiful.” She smiled and handed him back his phone.

  “Yeah. Dawn—that's my sister—spoils them rotten. So do my folks. They all live back in Rockwood, my hometown in Maine.”

  “I've never been to Maine. I hear it's a lot like Oregon, but colder.”

  He smiled. “I'd choose Pride over Rockwood any day. N
ot that it was a bad place to grow up, it just wasn't as friendly as Pride is. I guess I've just grown used to being a part of something bigger than just me. Besides, I really enjoy my job.”

  She got up and took their plates to the sink. When she turned around, he was standing and putting on his coat.

  “Well, I have an early morning, so I'd better get going. It was nice meeting you, Patricia.”

  Her mother turned and said her goodbyes. Sara followed him to the door, silently pleased that her sister was nowhere to be found.

  “Thank you for the dinner and cheesecake.” He stopped in front of her door, one hand on the handle. For a split second, she thought he was going to leave without kissing her. She'd thought of little else during the entire dinner. When he turned to go, she grabbed his arm.

  “Allen?” He turned back towards her and she went up on her toes and placed a light kiss on his lips. “Thanks for putting up with my family.” She started to pull away, but he took her shoulders and pulled her closer, claiming her mouth in a heated kiss that melted her. When he finally pulled back, she took in a gulp of air and realized her heart had kicked into overdrive.

  He nodded and smiled, then turned and was gone without a word. When the door closed, she heard a whistle behind her and spun to see her sister sitting at the top of the stairs, fanning her face with her hands.

  “Wow, that was hot.” She stood and came down the stairs.

  Sara crossed her arms. “I guess it's only fair that you see me kiss since I've seen you suck face with little Nickie Becker.”

  “He is not all that little anymore.” Her sister playfully shoved her.

  “Yeah, I noticed.” They giggled as they headed back into the kitchen.

  Chapter Five

  Sara felt like pulling out all her hair. Her new fridges were being delivered late, and her first shipment of food was sitting in the front units, which were not built to keep those items as cold as they needed to be. Now she was staring at a giant leak in the roof. The water dripped down on her clean worktable, causing a slight noise with each drop. The recent big snowfall they had gotten had all melted and the rain and sleet they had gotten last night had caused water to pool on the worktable and spill onto the floor. She'd pushed a bucket under the drip, and by the time Jack Timothy, John Timothy's oldest, had made it there, she’d had to empty the bucket three times. Jack had used a tall ladder to get up to the roof and look at what needed to be done. When he'd come back down an hour later, soaking wet, he'd informed her the entire roof would need to be fixed in the spring, but for now he'd patched it up as best he could. Now she'd have to budget for a new roof. She hadn't been up there and wondered what it entailed. Was it flat or did it have a slope? She supposed she should have asked Jack, but right as he was leaving, the truck with her refrigerators pulled up in the back alley.

  While the two men were unloading and setting up her units, she mopped up the water and cleaned her workbench. The men finished their task and left. She knew the units wouldn't be cold enough to put all the food into them yet, so she went into the front room and sat at her laptop. After she finalized the design for the sign that would hang on the front of the old brick building, she sent a few emails to her friends back in Seattle. She'd had a few close friends while working at some of the top bakeries in Seattle. Josie had been her closest friend for the last few years. The short Asian woman had more fire in her than Sara had known what to do with at first. Her friend's actual name was Jyotsna, but she preferred to go by Josie, since she had moved to the United States when she was eight. They'd both worked for Seattle's West Bakery. At first the two hadn't gotten along, but then after Stephan, the owner's husband, had hit on both of them, they'd banded together. After that, they'd gone everywhere together.

  Sara looked at her email to her friend and smiled. She hoped that Josie would reply and prayed with all her heart that she'd say “yes.”

  Josie, I'm sorry I haven't emailed sooner. Bad Friend! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving, even though I know you don't really celebrate it. At least you had a day off. :) Anyway, I'm emailing to let you know I've finally done it! And no, I'm not talking about jumping out of an airplane. I'm opening my own bakery in Pride next month. Sara's Nook will be open for business around the middle of January. I'm dying for a few good employees, but will settle for you, if you're willing. LOL. There's a cute house for rent just down the street and I can't wait to get out of my mom's house. I think between the two of us, we could afford the rent. It's small, but in good shape. I'm sending you the address of the house and my shop so you can Google them. Please say yes, I'd die if I had to do this without you. Your wonderful tea cakes are what Sara's Nook needs! I can promise you at least what we made at SWB. I know it's a small cut from what you're making now, but everything is cheaper here in Pride. Call me. I know, I know. I should have called, but I'm too chicken. I'm afraid you'll say no and I think I can handle an email better than a call. But, if you're going to say yes, you can call me if you want. --Sara.

  She read it over a few times and closed her eyes as she hit the send button. So far, she knew that Becca was going to be working part-time, but all her sister could do was stand behind the register and take orders. She needed at least two more bakers. She hated to seem desperate, but when the times called for it, she had no problem begging. Pride was a small town. For the most part, she knew everyone in it. She had a few possibilities for other workers, but wanted to hold out and hear from Josie first.

  She couldn't wait to see what the place looked like after she was done. She and Allison were set to go antiquing tomorrow. She was nervous about finding the right pieces. What if she didn't find anything? There were stores in Portland, but she hated to settle for something new.

  She locked up for the evening and enjoyed the stroll back to her car. She'd taken to parking it across the street at Patty's. That way it left the parking spots empty just in front of the store. She was halfway across the street when she noticed her windshield. It had been perfect, with no cracks. Now, however, it looked like someone had thrown a brick through it. Rushing to her car, she stopped just in front. The glass was punched through completely in one section and a large gaping hole was letting all the water in as the light rain continued. She noticed something dark sitting on her front seat and rushed to unlock her door.

  How could this have happened? The front windows overlooked the parking lot. When she finally had the door open, she looked down at a large chunk of stone. Turning, she looked at the side of Patty's building. Nothing looked like it had fallen off it. The tall stairs leading up to Amber's apartment looked sturdy. Sara locked her door again and walked to the front of the store.

  Patty O'Neil was a larger woman in her late sixties. She wore bright colors and almost always had a smile on her face. Sara had always thought of her as Pride's very own welcome wagon. Patty was the person organizing all the get-togethers in town, although most people didn't know it. Sara had found out one day when she'd been coming out of the bathroom of the store. She'd overheard Patty on the phone with someone. She was busy telling the person who to call and what dishes they should bring.

  When Sara walked into the store, Patty smiled and stopped her conversation with another woman. Ruth was as high society as Pride got. She was always meticulously dressed and Sara had never seen a hair out of place on the older woman's head.

  “Well, hello there, Sara. Ruth and I were just saying we can't wait til your bakery opens. Weren't we Ruth?” Patty looked to the other woman for confirmation.

  “Yes, it's on everyone's minds what you'll be calling it.” Ruth and Patty leaned forward a bit.

  Sara smiled. “Sara's Nook.”

  “Oh, how wonderfully fitting.” Both women smiled and Ruth clapped her hands.

  “Patty, I wanted to stop in and let you know, I think part of your building fell off and hit my car. I'm not a hundred percent sure, but it looks like part of the stone from the back wall.”

  “Oh, no! How dreadful. Are you alr
ight?” The larger woman rushed over to where she was.

  “I'm fine. It must have happened sometime during the day. I'm afraid it went right through my windshield, though.”

  “Oh goodness. Let's go take a look. Ruth, would you mind the store. Oh, and give Robert a call would you. Just in case. He can take a look and make sure nothing else is loose.”

  Patty put on a large purple raincoat and grabbed a bright yellow umbrella.

  As they stood in front of Sara's car, Patty shook her head and made a tsking noise. “It sure looks like that's what happened.” Then she turned and looked at the side of the tall building. “How on earth do you suppose that happened? It doesn't look like anything is missing.”

  “That's what I thought. Wouldn't there be a hole somewhere?” They both stood there looking up into the rain at the side of the building. When a car pulled up they both greeted Robert, the local sheriff. Robert was almost ten years older than Sara, but they'd always gotten along well.