Adaline had pies to bake.
So. Many. Pies.
Christmas was the busiest season for Cherry on Top, after all. The list of custom orders Adaline needed to get done by tomorrow was nearly as long as her arm.
But when she stormed out of the senior center, heart still pounding after her unpleasant encounter with Mr. Martin and the even less pleasant conversation with his nephew, Adaline’s feet steered her in the complete opposite direction of the bakery. Before she even realized where she was headed, Bluebonnet Pet Clinic came into view. It stood among a neat little row of Sunday houses just a few blocks south of the town square.
Back in the 1800s, ranchers and farmers in the surrounding area kept small homes to use on the weekends when they came to the town center for church and social events. In the years since, the historic landmarks had been repurposed into local businesses and small personal residences. Maple Leighton, the founder of Comfort Paws and one of Adaline’s besties, occupied two of them—the white Sunday house with the swirly gingerbread trim where she worked as one of the partners at the pet clinic, plus the cute pink house with the white picket fence located immediately next door.
“Adaline, how nice to see you!” June, the receptionist, peered at Adaline over the top of her reading glasses as she swept inside the pet clinic, propelled by equal parts mortification and fury. “I’m not seeing you down for an appointment this afternoon. Fuzzy isn’t feeling under the weather, is he?”
Fuzzy tugged at the end of his leash, all but dragging Adaline across the room. Not exactly stellar therapy dog behavior. They needed to work on that...right after Adaline rage-baked a dozen pies and found out what, exactly, Jace Martin was doing back in Bluebonnet.
“Fuzzy’s doing great. Fit as a fiddle.” I, on the other hand, am having a full nervous breakdown. She loosened her death grip on Fuzzy’s leash. She really needed to get ahold of herself. And she would, just as soon as Maple shook some sense into her. Isn’t that what best friends were for? “I was hoping to pop in and chat with Maple real quick. Do you know if she has a free second or two?”
“For you and this little one?” June pulled a tiny Milk-Bone from the pocket of her cardigan and offered it to Fuzzy as she opened the half door that separated the clinic’s office area from the lobby. The little Cavalier shimmied his way toward her and gently took the treat from her fingers. “I’m sure she can spare a few minutes. Why don’t you two go on back to her office, and I’ll let her know you’re here?”
“Thanks, June. I owe you one.” Adaline made a mental note to drop off some fresh-baked goodies for the office tomorrow morning. It was the least she could do after barging in like this.
Fuzzy kept his nose to the ground, exploring the menagerie of animal scents as Adaline led the puppy toward Maple’s office. Just six months ago, the small space with the wood-paneled walls had belonged to Maple’s father, Percy Walker, DVM. No one in Bluebonnet had even known he’d had a daughter who’d been given up for adoption as an infant until after Maple’s name turned up in his last will and testament as the sole beneficiary of both his home and his half of the pet clinic he shared with the elder Dr. Grover Hayes. Perhaps even more notably, Percy had also left Maple his dog, a golden retriever named Lady Bird. The golden was legendary around Bluebonnet. She’d been the town’s very first therapy dog and the inspiration behind the creation of Comfort Paws.
Adaline barely had time to sit down in one of the upholstered black-and-white-striped guest chairs before Lady Bird nudged the office door open with her nose. The golden made a beeline toward Fuzzy, and the little Cavalier’s entire back end wiggled as Maple followed on Lady Bird’s heels.
The veterinarian’s big brown eyes met Adaline’s and her whole face lit up. “Well, isn’t this a fun surprise?”
Maple’s gaze flitted around the office, which she’d recently begun to redecorate in her own classic Manhattan-girl vibe. For months, she’d left everything just as Percy had kept it until she’d finally decided to give the space new life with a coat of Tiffany-blue paint. Adaline had participated in the painting party, along with the other girls who made up the founding board of Comfort Paws, Jenna Walsh and Belle Darling. The striped chairs had followed shortly afterward, and Adaline was fairly certain a new dog bed that looked like a giant plush Tiffany box would be soon replacing Lady Bird’s faded plaid cushion in the corner by the window.
But if Adaline knew her friend as well as she thought she did, Maple’s quick once-over of the office had nothing to do with the decor.
She bit back a smile. “You’re looking around for pie, aren’t you?”
Maple’s face scrunched. “Maybe. But I promise that doesn’t mean I’m not excited for a surprise visit from you and the little one.” She scooped Fuzzy into her arms, and he immediately began covering her cheek with puppy kisses. “With or without pie.”
“Sadly, I’m empty-handed this time. Fuzzy and I just had our visit at the senior center, and it was kind of a disaster. We came straight here afterward.” Adaline bit her bottom lip, which—to her horror—had begun to tremble.
Oh, no. She wasn’t going to cry over her fifth-grade nemesis and his grinchy uncle, was she? What was this—2006?
Lady Bird, ever the therapy dog, rested her chin on Adaline’s lap and peered up at her with soulful eyes. The golden’s furry brow creased with concern.
“Forget the pie. You’re obviously upset.” Maple plopped down in the other striped chair and ignored Fuzzy’s attempts to chew on her hair, smoothly tucking her chestnut curtain bangs behind her ears and out of reach. “What happened? Did something go wrong at the senior center? Because Fuzzy is still learning, you know. The activity director knows that, and she’s pleased as punch to have Comfort Paws there.”
“This isn’t about Fuzzy. He’s totally perfect, and everyone adores him.” Almost everyone, anyway.
“Then what happened?” Concern glittered in Maple’s doe eyes.
Just my elementary school years coming back to haunt me like the ghost of Christmas past. No biggie.
Adaline felt like a ridiculous drama queen. All her life, people had teased her about her big emotions. She couldn’t help it. She had a tendency to feel things deeply—the entire spectrum of emotions, from joy to despair and everything in between. Gram had always told Adaline it was part of what made her special. And Adaline, in all her optimistic naivete, believed her.
But then the boy who’d taken her to senior prom had dumped her the very next morning after she’d baked him a cake with his face drawn in frosting. This is just a lot. Those words had burrowed deep, but not quite as deep as the ones that followed. You’re just a lot. Maybe she would’ve considered it a fluke if she hadn’t heard the same thing from the next guy she’d dated...and the one after that.
The third time was the charm, though. Adaline was a lot, she’d decided. Too much, probably. And that was fine. Who needed to date? She’d get a dog instead. A dog that was just like her—too affectionate, too loving and perhaps just a tad too clingy...but clingy in an endearing way, obviously. Adaline had never been known for her chill.
“There’s a patient in the extended care unit who doesn’t like dogs.” Or people. Or Christmas. Or anything at all, as far as Adaline could tell. “I still offer him a visit every time I’m there, just in case he changes his mind. Anyway, he’s not the problem. Today his nephew turned up.”
Maple’s brow furrowed. “Was he rude to you?”
“Not exactly,” Adaline said.
Maple continued to probe. “Did he say something inappropriate?”
“No.” Adaline felt herself frown, because when she actually stopped to think about it, her conversation with Jace hadn’t been unpleasant at all. In fact, an unmistakable zing of attraction had been skittering through her right up until the moment she’d realized who he was.
Unacceptable. There would be no more zinging.
“A little help here, hon? Because I’m not seeing the problem,” Maple said.
“Jace—the nephew—and I were in the same class back in fifth grade, and he made my life miserable for pretty much the entire school year.”
“Was he a bully?”
“No, nothing like that. He just liked to tease me,” Adaline sighed. “A lot.”
One corner of Maple’s lips—always painted a bright cherry red—curved into a half smile. “Is that all? He probably had a crush on you. You know how boys are at that age.”
Adaline’s heart began to thump hard in her chest. The truth was, she’d been the one with the crush, which only made the teasing hurt more. “His nickname for me was Ada-lame.”
Maple rolled her eyes. “Little boys are dumb.”
“So dumb.” It had taken her years to shake that ridiculous nickname. Someone had even written it in her high school yearbook in tenth grade. “On career day, I make cupcakes for my oral presentation about the bakery I hoped to open someday. When I accidentally dropped them on the way into the building, Jace called them smushcakes.”
Maple let out a snort. “This guy really liked the puns, didn’t he?”
Adaline shrugged. “You know I’m a sucker for a dad joke.”
Maple eyed her more closely. “Wait a minute. You liked him, didn’t you?”
Adaline covered her face with her hands and groaned. “I did. Boys aren’t the only dumb ones.”
“You were a kid. We’ve all had misguided crushes,” Maple sighed. “Trust me on that one. And if you don’t believe me, my divorce lawyer parents would be happy to give you an entire PowerPoint presentation on how love makes fools of us all.”
“It must have been really weird growing up with two divorce attorneys as parents,” Adaline said.
“You have no idea. It’s a miracle I ever let myself trust your brother.” Maple toyed with the shiny engagement ring on her finger and her expression immediately morphed into that far-off dreamy look she got that always made Adaline feel a little wistful...like maybe finding what Maple and Ford had would be nice someday.
Not that Adaline had any intention of going out and looking for it.
“Hon, Cherry on Top is a massive success. You have more business than you know what to do with. No one thinks you make smushcakes, and I’ve never heard a soul call you Ada-lame.” Fuzzy had fallen asleep in Maple’s lap, and she brushed her fingertips over his curled form as she regarded Adaline. “Is all of this fifth-grade stuff really still bothering you all these years later?”
Yes.
No.
Maybe?
“Jace was the first boy I really liked. And I thought he liked me too, despite all the teasing. His opinion meant too much to me.” He’d meant too much, and Adaline, in all her innocence, had done what she always did. She let her big feelings get the best of her. “On the last day of school, he passed me a note saying he liked me and wanted to dance with me at the fifth-grade graduation dance. I was beside myself with excitement. Gram made a party dress for me out of powder-blue fabric dotted with a cherry print. I turned up at that dance feeling like Miss America, but as soon as I walked into the building, I overheard Jace talking with some of his friends.”
Maple’s face fell. “Uh-oh.”
“His friends were poking fun at him for being nice to me. They said they knew he secretly loved ‘Ada-lame.’ He denied it and said the only reason he was being nice to me was because he felt sorry for me.” Adaline swallowed. “He pitied me because I was so different. So intense. What kind of kid liked baking so much and hung out with her grandmother for fun? Plus, I was the only kid in class who still believed in Santa. Obviously I was too weird to have any real friends.”
Maple’s hand stilled on Fuzzy’s slender back. “That’s a terrible thing to say. Did he ever apologize? What happened when you confronted him?”
“I didn’t. I was too crushed. I fled. I ran all the way home and afterward, he just...disappeared. The kids at school said he’d moved away. I never saw him again.” Adaline swallowed. “Until today.”
And the instant she’d realized who he was, she felt like that little girl in the cherry-print dress all over again. She’d wanted to sink straight into the walls of the school gym, but there’d been no disappearing in that dress, just like there’d been no hiding the giant cookie she’d baked him with his initials on it. It had all been just a little too much.
Story of my life.
Adaline’s throat went thick as realization dawned. Overhearing Jace say those things about her at that fifth-grade dance had been the first time she’d felt like her heart was simply too big for this world. Then it had become a pattern she couldn’t seem to shake. Even now...here she was, feeling like Ada-lame all over again.
Because of course when she’d bumped into Jace, she hadn’t been doing something normal. She’d been toting a dog in antlers around a retirement center and forcing unwanted cheerfulness on one of his relatives.
“I can’t believe he’s back in Bluebonnet,” she said flatly. She hated that she still cared what he thought. That was the worst part of this entire ordeal.
“Do you have any idea why?”
“I’m guessing it has something to do with his uncle.” Guilt settled in the pit of her stomach like an overbaked scone. “He doesn’t seem to be doing well.”
“Well, then. I doubt you’ll be running into him anyplace but the retirement center,” Maple said.
“Good point. Just because he’s here doesn’t mean our paths have to cross.” Except that Bluebonnet wasn’t exactly a booming metropolis. Still, this was her turf. She had a perfectly lovely life in her hometown. She had Fuzzy now, and she had friends—friends who liked her just the way she was. “I just need to focus on the bakery, Fuzzy’s continued training and our Comfort Paws holiday fundraiser. Between those three things, I won’t even have time to think about Jace Martin.”
Perhaps she also needed to stop making personalized baked goods for boys who didn’t deserve it. That seemed like a vitally overlooked part of the plan.
“I’m always here if you need to vent. You know that.” Maple checked her watch and winced. “Except I’ve got an appointment with a lethargic goldfish in about thirty seconds.”
Adaline waved a hand. “Go. I feel better already. Thanks for listening.”
“Anytime at all.” Maple gathered Fuzzy in her arms, pressed a smacking kiss to the top of his head and handed the sleepy puppy to Adaline as she stood. Lady Bird lifted her head from Adaline’s lap and moved to Maple’s side, ready to assist with the goldfish exam. “Speaking of the fundraiser, we’re still meeting at the town square tomorrow morning to get things started, right?”
Adaline nodded. “Absolutely. I confirmed everything with the mayor’s office two days ago. The gazebo and surrounding green space is all ours from tomorrow until Christmas Day.”
If Comfort Paws was going to start holding training classes, they needed a bigger headquarters than the kitchen table at Maple’s Sunday house. But a space big enough to hold dog-training classes cost money. Adaline had proposed a holiday fundraiser where people could come to mix and mingle with therapy dogs while they had their Christmas packages gift wrapped for a reasonable donation to the organization. She envisioned a puppy kissing booth and a bake sale featuring her most popular items from Cherry on Top. Adaline had even managed to recruit one of Gram’s gentleman friends from the senior center to dress up as Santa Claus so they could offer Santa photos for children and pets on afternoons and weekends. With a prime location like the town square, they were sure to have enough funds to rent a space for Comfort Paws after the first of the year.
“Super! Then we’ll see you tomorrow bright and early. Right, Lady Bird?” Maple said.
The golden retriever woofed.
“And try not to worry about Jace. Anyone who would talk like that behind your back isn’t worth your time or energy, full stop, no matter how young he was when it happened.” Maple punctuated her point with an arched eyebrow. “Right?”
“Right. I solemnly swear not to give Jace Martin another thought for as long as I live.” Adaline held up a palm, as if making a vow.
Lady Bird immediately mistook the gesture as a cue for a high five and touched Adaline’s hand with one of her big gold paws. It was official: the promise was set in stone.
After all, few things in this world were as pure and sacred as a high five with a golden retriever.