The woman of the Red Maple Falls Garden Club absolutely adored the earl grey lavender cupcakes Shay was currently making and had ordered four dozen for their annual Tea Party.
It would be another late night for Shay. Maybe her grandmother was right. Maybe it was time to hire another baker.
Shay had a hard time trusting people though, and had gone through a very long hiring process the last time she needed help.
It had paid off for her when she hired her cashier, Louise, a twenty-three-year-old with an old-fashioned soul that matched her name. She was a godsend. But what were the chances that would happen again? Every cupcake, every muffin, scone, roll, and cookie sold at Sweet Dreams Bakery was personally made by Shay. How could she trust that someone who had no investment in the bakery would put as much love and devotion into each batch as she did?
When she left New York, she was supposed to relax. Instead, she found herself following a dream from her childhood and putting all her time and energy into it, working even harder than ever before. She was happy, though, even if a little lonely, and to her that made the long nights and lack of sleep worth it.
She hummed as she scraped down the sides of the bowl then transferred the batter into white and black damask cupcake cups. Once she popped them into the oven, she got started on the cream cheese frosting. Each motion was as natural as the next.
She glanced at the clock, shocked to discover it was a quarter after nine. It felt like only moments ago when Louise called back to her that she was leaving.
She definitely needed to hire another baker.
Shay’s cell phone rang and her lip curled, stomach flopping at the name flashing on the screen. If she didn’t answer now, her mother would keep calling until she did. Then she’d give her crap about not answering. What’s the point of having a cell phone if you never have it with you? Or Shay’s favorite, I could’ve been on my death bed in the hospital and you didn’t even bother to answer.
It had been a peaceful day, and Shay was in a good mood. If she picked up, that would all change in an instant, so she made the tough decision to ignore the call and deal with the wrath later.
As predicted, the phone rang almost as fast as it stopped. With a smile on her face, Shay sent her mother to voicemail and then turned her ringer off. It felt good. Liberating almost.
Shay moved six hours away, but as long as Shay had a phone, no distance would be far enough to avoid the condescending and disappointing words of her mother. The only saving grace was that Mrs. Michaels couldn’t show up on her doorstep like she had so many times before.
It didn’t matter that Shay had had a doorman in New York who was supposed to be the gatekeeper from the lobby to Shay’s apartment, Mrs. Michael’s simply didn’t play by the same rules as the rest of the world.
Her mother was a force to be reckoned with, or depending on how you looked at it, a privileged snot who didn’t understand the word no.
Shay took the cupcakes out of the oven and let them cool before frosting them with a large rose tip piping bag to create a layered ruffle appearance. She then topped them off with a few strategically placed pearl candies.
They looked amazing, and Shay knew they would taste just as good as they looked. She stepped back and took a picture, so she could add it to her website and social media pages, which had become a big hit with several thousand followers.
When she’d originally decided to open Sweet Dreams Bakery, she’d hoped her parents would help her financially, with the intention of her paying them back plus interest. She should have known better. Her mother refused, even though her father was willing to write a check no questions asked. Her mother however, wouldn’t allow it unless Shay moved back to New York and opened the bakery there, which was completely out of the question.
Shay tasted defeat, and it was bitter and awful. From that moment on, she was determined to make her dream come true with or without her parents’ help. It wasn’t easy in the beginning, but now, she had a store she was proud of, a reputation people would kill for, and a client base she absolutely adored.
She’d found success on her own, but every time she spoke with her mother, it was like she was still an incompetent child who couldn’t do anything right. It took a long time, but Shay finally accepted she would never make her mother proud, and she was okay with that. Her mother’s opinions didn’t determine Shay’s happiness; she did.
As Shay sealed the last box with a piece of tape, she heard a slight knock followed by a silky deep voice that was as delicious as her cream cheese frosting.
“I’m back here!” she called out to Matt and quickly checked her face in the reflection of a stainless-steel bowl. Flour covered her nose, and she swiped her sleeve across her face.
“Hey,” he said as she turned with a smile, praying she got all the white powder. “I was just driving by to check on the place and saw the light on.”
He was out of uniform, in a pair of dark wash jeans and a black Henley with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. Every beautiful muscle in his chest and arms were hugged in all the right places.
“I just finished my last batch.”
“Good, then I can walk you out.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.”
A smile tugged at Shay’s lips, and she couldn’t hide it even if she wanted to. “I’d like that.”
Shay grabbed her jacket and slipped it on. Spring was in full bloom, but the nights were still chilly. Soon enough the days would be longer and the air would be warmer. She loved summers in the White Mountains. It was nothing like summers in the city where the rancid smells lingered, and the hot humid days were made more miserable by cramped subway cars and crowded streets.
She and Matt walked to the front of the store in silence, but when they got to the door Matt stopped. “You really shouldn’t leave your door unlocked when you’re here alone.”
Shay laughed. She couldn’t help herself. Nobody locked their doors in Red Maple Falls. Not their house doors or even their cars. “You’re kidding, right?”
“Not at all. Whether you want to take it seriously or not, there was a break-in here, and since we have no suspects or witnesses, we can’t assume they won’t strike again. Especially because they didn’t take anything.”
Shay let out a loud annoyed breath. She really wished Matt would let it go. “No one was hurt, nothing was taken… Can’t we just forget about it?”
Matt shook his head. “That’s not how things work.”
“Well it should. It’s my shop, and I should have some say in the matter.”
He ran a hand over his chin, and she tried not to notice the flex of his biceps, the tension pulling across his strong jawline. “Of course, you do. I just think you should be a little more cautious, that’s all.”
“I’ll take it into consideration. How about that?”
Matt laughed, and Shay turned to him with a raised eyebrow. “Why are you laughing?”
“Just remembering things.”
“What things?”
“How right now you’re being about as stubborn as that time you insisted on hiking up Bluff’s Landing.”
Shay crossed her arms over her chest, trying to hide the shock that he’d bring up their past. “I’d never been. I wanted to go.”
“And I would’ve taken you, but you wanted to go right that second. Right after it rained and the ground was soft and slippery. Even after I told you it was a bad idea.”
“We survived, didn’t we?”
The corner of his lip quirked. “Thanks to me.”
He was right. The conditions had been unsafe, but she had just gotten into a fight with her mother that morning, and she’d wanted to get away. Matt happened to mention Bluff’s Landing and she just had to go. She probably should have waited. Should have listened to his warnings, but she’d been angry and sad and not thinking straight. She’d wanted to get as far away from civilization as possible—be with Matt and only Matt because he had been the only one who could make her forget about the world around her. The only one to make her laugh when she swore she’d never laugh again. He’d made her smile for no reason, simply for just looking at her.
She shrugged at the memory. So what if she was stubborn? There was nothing wrong with that. Besides he should talk. And she wouldn’t call it stubborn, just determined in her own right.
“And do you remember what you said to me?” he asked, causing more of the memories to flood her mind.
She had been determined—maybe a little too determined—and she hadn’t heard his warning about the wet lichen on the rock she had been about to step on. As soon as her foot had hit the stone, it’d slipped out from under her. She’d wavered until she lost balance and tumbled down the side of the mountain. Her hands had grasped at everything, but she had been going too fast and too hard and hadn’t been able to catch anything.
Her ankle had hit the ground first, and her body had collapsed into itself. She’d survived, but the fear and adrenaline that had run through her body had completely frozen her. She’d heard Matt’s voice from the top, panic lacing his words, but she couldn’t find her own voice. Pain had shot up her leg and tears had spilled from her eyes.
She’d thought for sure it was broken. Matt, like Spiderman without the webs, had flown down the mountain, climbing over boulders and trees until he was at her side.
“Shay! Shay! Are you okay? Please tell me you’re okay?”
She’d looked up at him through her tears and forced a smile. “I should’ve listened to you.”
“Yes, you should have!” he’d said with a laugh, gathering her in his arms and kissing her head. He’d held her like he was never going to see her again. If he’d only known that it was to be their last summer together…
That morning Shay had phoned her mother and told her she’d decided she wanted to move to New Hampshire. She would apply to colleges in the area because she didn’t want to come back to New York. Not if she had to leave Matt behind.
Of course, her mother had refused, and being only seventeen and financially reliant on her parents, Shay had felt the future she had dreamed slip away from her.
If she’d only stood up to her mother all those years ago, things could’ve been different. There was no way of knowing what could have been, but Shay liked to think she and Matt would be married now, with kids and a dog.
Instead, she’d left him and never looked back. Until now.
“I should’ve listened to you,” she said with a somber smile.
“Exactly. I had to carry you three miles home then explain to your grandma why your ankle was swollen and you were crying.”
“It wasn’t so bad, most of the way back was downhill.”
He laughed. “Don’t downplay it.”
“I also remember Grandma and Grandpa were so grateful you got me home that they let you stay way past my curfew.” As soon as the words came out, Shay wished she could take them back. She didn’t want to bring up the past, and not just because it was so long ago, but because she hated to be reminded of what she was once so lucky to have and how she hadn’t fought to keep it.
Matt smiled and looked as if his mind went back to that night just like hers had—lying in his arms outside in the hammock, looking up at a blanket of stars, talking about a future she’d known would never happen, but hadn’t had the guts to tell him.
She hadn’t wanted to ruin the little time they’d had left together. She’d wanted to embrace it, savor it, so when the time came when they no longer would be together, she’d have something to hold on to.
It had been too late when she realized those memories wouldn’t bring her comfort, only sorrow and regrets.
Most people would call what they had “summer love,” but it was so much more than that. It was a love so deep it marked her heart and never healed. That part would forever beat just for him.
“Your grandparents were good like that,” Matt finally said, ending the silence between them. “I also think they’d agree with me about locking your door when you’re here alone.”
“Probably, but that’s why I’m not going to tell them.”
“Whoever said it would have to be you who would tell them?”
Shay’s eyes widened at his words. “You wouldn’t!”
“You calling my bluff?”
Absolutely not. The last time she called his bluff he dove off their canoe into the lake then pulled her in with him.
She needed a better tactic, so she looked up at him through long lashes. “Please don’t.”
“That might’ve worked on me when I was eighteen.”
“Please,” she said again, her voice soft and pleading. She caught his gaze and fluttered her lashes… and for good measure, she pouted her bottom lip out slightly.
“Oh geez. Fine. I won’t call them.”
Mentally she gave herself a fist pump. “Thank you.”
“But if you don’t plan on locking your door, I’m going to have to drive by every night to make sure you’re okay.”
She should tell him she would lock the door. There was no reason for him to go out of his way to check on her, but looking into his green eyes, the last thing she wanted to do was tell him no. She liked seeing him again, being near him, and just knowing that he still cared.
“Like I said before, if that’s what you want to do then I can’t stop you,” she said with a smile before getting into her car.
Matt held the door and looked down at her. The intensity in his gaze pierced her heart and sent heat rushing to her core. Her nipples hardened beneath her white shirt, reminding her of how he’d taken them one by one into his mouth so long ago, pinching the tight beads between his fingers and causing her to scream out in ecstasy.
Her heart sped up at the memory, and a slick heat surged between her legs. His mouth parted, and she imagined all the things those lips were capable of. How easily they could kiss her into oblivion, send her head spinning and her body convulsing.
“Have a good night, Shay,” he said before shutting the door, leaving her hot and desperate for his touch.