Chapter Twelve

This was so much more work than she’d been expecting.

Saturday evening, Hannah stood in Birdie’s house. After Ethan had finished working at the bakery for the day, he’d invited her over to work on Spring Fling plans. Hannah knew they had to get started on the details for the Easter egg hunt, that they were woefully behind since Spring Fling was in a few weeks.

“Why don’t we eat first?” Ethan’s deep voice drew her from her thoughts.

They’d picked up a large pepperoni pizza from the Pizza Pie Shoppe on the way to his place, well, Birdie’s place. It was the first time Hannah had been inside the house. When she’d visit with Birdie it was always during warm weather. They’d have lemonade out on her sweeping porch with an amazing view of the ocean.

As she glanced around, she noticed the place was well-kept, but it was a bit on the small side. Still, how much room did one person need? Her gaze moved to the French doors. And with that amazing ocean view, it was picture perfect.

“Here we go.” Ethan handed her a plate with a couple of slices. “We can sit on the couch.”

She turned, finding a pillow and blanket on it. “You sleep there?”

He shrugged as he placed his plate on the coffee table. “I’ll just move those.”

She couldn’t imagine why he’d sleep on the couch. It didn’t look that big. And when she sat down, she found it wasn’t comfortable. No wonder she’d noticed him more than once rubbing his neck.

Then she thought of the vacant, furnished apartment across the hall from hers. Should she offer it to him? With him leaving the island soon, it’d be available for summer rentals. Still, she hesitated.

When he sat next to her, the cushion sagged in his direction. She had to quickly adjust herself so as not to fall into him.

“Sorry,” he said, looking uncomfortable. “It’s an old couch and the springs have seen better days.”

“So why do you sleep here?” Once she’d uttered the words, she wished she could take them back.

He cleared his throat. “I tried my aunt’s bed, but it’s too small and soft. So it’s either the couch or the floor. I tried the floor, but I could barely move in the morning.”

Awe… Sympathy welled up in her. At the same time, her respect for him spiked. He was going out of his way for his aunt. Only a good guy would go to all of this bother.

“You could stay in my apartment,” she blurted out. When his eyes widened in surprise, she realized how that might sound—wrong, very wrong. Heat engulfed her face. “Not in my actual apartment. Not with me,” she stammered. “I have another apartment. It…it’s across the hall.”

His brows knitted together. “You’re offering me the extra apartment above the bakery?”

She nodded, not trusting her words.

“I don’t think so.” He took a bite of pizza.

Wait. He was turning her down? He’d rather sleep on this lumpy, sagging couch? What was she missing?

“Why?” She had to know the answer.

“You should rent it to someone else.”

“But I’m offering it to you. And you need it. You can’t keep sleeping on this couch.” When Peaches moved to his side to beg for food, she realized why he might be hesitant. “And you can bring Peaches.”

His hesitant gaze met hers. “Are you sure? Most apartments don’t allow dogs.”

“Of course I’m serious.” Her gaze moved to Peaches. “We’re buddies. Aren’t we, girl?”

“Arf!”

“Problem solved.” Hannah smiled at her ability to fix one problem.

“I don’t know what to say, but thank you. That’s generous of you.”

“You’re welcome. Now we better eat so we can get some planning done.”

“Agreed.”

And so Ethan turned on the television while they ate. She was surprised when he turned on a home renovation show instead of the sports channel.

When the show ended and the dishes were cleared, it was time to go over the plans for the egg hunt. Hannah reached for her backpack and pulled out a notebook where she’d written a bunch of notes about the festival.

“Where do you want to start?” he asked.

“How about we find all of those order forms that she said were in her desk?”

Ethan nodded in agreement.

She followed him to the aforementioned desk. He sat down in the small, short chair that made him look like a giant. Hannah couldn’t help but smile at the way his knees stuck up as though he were sitting in a kid’s chair.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

“Oh, nothing. Except that chair was definitely not made for you.”

“Tell me about it.” He pulled open the first desk drawer. It was crammed full of papers and recipes his aunt had clipped from the newspaper or a magazine. Oh boy! This was going to take some time.

“Why don’t you start on one side,” Hannah said, “while I search the drawers on this side.”

“Sounds like a plan to me because we don’t have all night.”

“That’s right. We have to get you moved into the apartment.”

“And I have to get up early. I have a supply order to pick up and some walls to mud.”

“Hmm…that sounds fun. Why do you throw mud at the walls?” She sent him a teasing smile.

“I wish it was that fun. No, I have to cover the seams in the drywall. And then when its dry, hopefully in a day or two, it’s going to need to be sanded.”

“That sounds like a lot of work.”

“It is. But if you want smooth walls, it’s what needs done.”

“Maybe I can help you. After all, how hard can sanding be?”

He shrugged. “But won’t you be busy with your baking and then working on the festival plans?”

“I’ve read your aunt’s entire binder and been on the phone with the event coordinators for the Bloomin’ Tulip Contest and the jelly bean relay. They’ve told me Birdie got them everything they needed before her accident.”

“Oh. Okay. You can help in the bakery, if you want. I can show you what to do.”

And then a thought came to her. “What if we help each other? That way it’ll keep things from getting too monotonous.” When he opened his mouth to argue, she added, “And I recall you telling your aunt that you’d help me with the festival.”

His lips pursed together as though he were trying to think up an excuse to get out of it, but then he surprised her by saying, “Okay. You’ve got a deal.”

Just then Peaches, who was sitting beside them, barked her agreement. And they both laughed.

“I guess it’s unanimous now.” Hannah withdrew a stack of clipped pages. “I think I found some of the papers we’re hunting for.”

Ethan was already in the second drawer down. “And I think I have some flyers.”

“Things are looking up.”

When Ethan sent her a reassuring smile, her heart tumbled in her chest. Yes, things were definitely looking up. But what would happen when Birdie was home again and Ethan returned to his life in New York?

It was then that her grandmother’s words of wisdom came to mind, Don’t trouble trouble until trouble troubles you. She used to think her grandmother’s sayings were silly but now she was finding comfort in them.

He felt great!

It was amazing what a decent bed could do for one’s outlook on the day.

Monday afternoon, Ethan moved rapidly through his tasks and even when he’d realized he’d picked up the wrong sandpaper that cost him precious time, it hadn’t doused his good mood. He’d merely moved onto the next task on his list. With the restoration work now complete, he was able to work in any part of the bakery.

Ethan noticed Hannah wasn’t around. In fact, he hadn’t seen her once that day. Not that he was anxious for her company. He knew she had a cake to deliver that morning, and she was making a detailed list of what needed to be done for Spring Fling. And then there was the wedding shower for—what was her name? He stopped and thought for a moment because he’d been in Bluestar Island for more than a week and little by little, he was learning to put names to faces. It was something he’d been challenging himself with each day.

He paused from where he’d just finished mudding a wall in the showroom. He knew the name. It was on the tip of his tongue. He struggled to recall the name. It was an easy name.

And he refused to give up. Amy? No. Amber? No. A…

“Amelia!” He smiled at his accomplishment.

“What about Amelia?”

He turned. Hannah stood in the doorway. She looked as beautiful as ever with her long auburn hair pulled back in her customary messy bun. A few strands of hair had worked free and framed her face.

And then he realized he was staring and glanced away. “I was just trying to remember her name is all.”

Hannah arched a brow. “Any particular reason?”

He shrugged, feeling a bit awkward. “I’ve been trying to put names to faces.”

“And Amelia just happened to pop into your mind?”

He shrugged once more. That bit of awkwardness had now morphed into distinct discomfort. “It’s no big deal.”

She didn’t say anything for a moment. Instead, she stood there staring at him as though trying to figure out what was up with him. He was starting to feel the same way.

He cleared his throat. “Thanks for the use of the apartment. I had a good night’s sleep.”

“You’re welcome.”

Trying to lessen the weirdness of the moment, he went back to moving to a new section of the wall. At this point, the new display cases and counters hadn’t been delivered, but they were due to arrive next week, so he wanted to get these walls primed, prepped, and painted before the delivery date.

Hannah moved about the large room, dodging his tools and supplies like a fine dancer. “Do you honestly think it’ll be completed before Easter?”

“Are you saying you doubt me?”

She shook her head but her gaze didn’t meet his. “I was just beginning to think with the flood and then the insurance company giving me a hard time, that it wasn’t meant to be.”

He felt bad for her. This was supposed to be one of the most exciting times in her life, and now it was marred with additional stress and worry—none of which was any fault of her own.

“That’s all behind you,” he said, continuing to work on the wall. “Now you just have to envision this place finished.”

“I’m trying to, but it’s not going to look how I’d originally imagined.”

He paused, worried he wasn’t doing something right. “What’s wrong with it? If you tell me, maybe I can fix it.”

“Oh no. It’s nothing that you’ve done. It’s just that originally I wanted to put some history back into the place. This bakery has been here for at least a hundred years. It just feels weird to make it totally modern.”

He smeared more mud on the wall. “So what were you thinking? Some old photos on the wall?”

“No. But I like that idea.” She reached for her phone, and her fingers started moving over the keypad.

“Did you just write that down?”

“I did. With this place, my work, the upcoming wedding shower and Spring Fling, my brain is leaking information.” She laughed. “So I’ve started making notes for myself on my phone. It’s helpful. You should try it sometime.”

“Maybe I will.” It would definitely help him with this remodel. “As for the bakery, you have a lot of ideas in your notebook. Is there anything it’s missing?”

“I had picked out some antique fixtures online. You know like switch plates and light fixtures. I even found an antique cash register and was going to see if someone could strip out the guts of it and replace them with modern-day technology.”

He was impressed. “Sounds like you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“Trust me. When you’ve been dreaming of something for nearly half your life, you have a lot of time to envision just what you want.” She sighed. “But those were dreams and this is reality. I need to be happy with what I have and stop wishing for something different.”

He gave it a little thought. It didn’t take much. With a mother that prided herself on being the best shopper in all of New York, perhaps the country, he knew how to get Hannah what she wanted without breaking the bank.

“What are you doing this weekend?”

She turned a wide-eyed gaze his way. Her pouty lips were slightly agape as she stared at him. What in the world had he done to create such a reaction? He glanced down to make sure he hadn’t knocked over his bucket, but it was standing right where he’d put it.

And then it was like the clouds had cleared and he realized his mistake. He inwardly groaned. He was usually better around women, but he was a bit out of practice.

He cleared his throat. “I didn’t mean that as in you and I…that we would, uh…what I meant was that if you don’t have plans, we could go to an estate sale.”

Her stunned expression turned into one of puzzlement. “And why would we go there?”

“Because you would be surprised at the history you can find at estate sales.”

“And you would know this how? For some reason, I just don’t see you as the antique collecting type.”

“It’s my mother’s fault.”

“Your mother?” The confused look remained.

“Yes, when I was young, she would drag me along on her outings. It didn’t matter if it was a yard sale, an estate sale, or any other sale you can imagine. I bet even as we’re talking that she’s negotiating a better price on an antique in France.”

“But what does she do with all of the stuff?”

“She says she finds them new homes where they’ll have someone to appreciate them. I think she loves the hunt. She gets so excited when she finds a nice piece that’s been lost in the clutter of estate sales.”

“Interesting. And your father, he’s a firefighter, like you?”

“Yes. But he’s higher up in the chain of command. He’s the chief of department. And he wants me to follow in his footsteps.” And then he admitted something he’d never told anyone before. “Not only that but he wants me to become the fire commissioner.” This time Ethan did rake his fingers through his hair without thinking of the mess it might make.

“That’s a lot to live up to.”

“Tell me about it. And the worst part is I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to keep climbing the chain of command. I don’t want to fight politicians over the budget and push paperwork. I’m happy being out in the community helping people.”

He didn’t know why he’d dumped all of that out there in the open. What was it about Hannah that had him peeling back the layers of his life and letting her see what was inside him?

“Then don’t do it.” She made it sound so easy.

“I can’t.”

“Sure, you can. Just tell your father. He’ll understand.”

Ethan shook his head. “No, he won’t. His father’s father was a fire chief. His father was a borough commander. And he’s chief of department. I’m expected to continue the Walker tradition.”

“But if it doesn’t make you happy—”

“Never mind. I shouldn’t have brought it up.” He didn’t know whom he was more upset with: her for making it all sound so simple or himself for even entertaining the notion. “I know it sounds silly that a man of my age is worried about disappointing my parents, but we’ve always been close. They’ve done their best by me. And I’m not sure what I want to do with my future.” His gaze met hers. “Sorry. I’m sure that’s more than you wanted to know.”

“Not at all. If you ever want to talk more, I’m a pretty decent listener.” She eyed up his work. “Can I help you with that?”

“How are you at sanding?”

“I know how to move sandpaper back and forth.”

“Good you’re hired.” He smiled at her, hoping to lighten the mood. “But not until tomorrow evening. This needs time to dry. And then we’ll start over there.” He pointed to the other side of the room that had already been prepped.

Hannah took the moment to look around the big room. Her beautiful face creased with worry lines. “There’s so much to do.”

“Stop worrying. It’ll get there. And it’s going to look great when it’s finished. Tonight I’ll do a little research for estate sales in the area. If I find one, we could go Saturday morning if you’re available.”

She worried her bottom lip as though considering the offer. Then her eyes widened as though she’d thought of something. “The wedding shower is Saturday.”

He wasn’t willing to give up yet, because they didn’t have time to waste if she was going to open before Easter. “What time?”

“Not until the evening.”

“The sales are in the morning. We could be back in plenty of time.”

“Aren’t you visiting your aunt that day?”

“We’ll just make it one big trip. Shopping. Visiting. And some lunch in there somewhere. How does that sound?”

“As long as we’re home by four, count me in.”

“It’s a date.” The words slipped out before he could stop them.

Had he meant to say those exact words? No. Definitely not. Still he couldn’t help wondering, did he secretly want to date Hannah? He’d just had a bad breakup. Did he want to go down that road again?

“I better get going.” Hannah’s voice drew him from his thoughts. Her face was flushed as her gaze avoided his. “Will you be all right here? I mean, um, do you need anything?”

“I’m good. Thanks.”

And with that she was gone. There wasn’t so much as a goodbye.

And now the bakery seemed so empty without her presence. Not that he wanted her company or anything. Still, it was nice not to be alone. He’d spent a lot of his off hours alone in New York. Not because it was his choice, but rather because it worked out that way. But here in Bluestar Island, everything was different.

Peaches stared at the door that Hannah had just walked out.

“Seems I’m not the only one she’s made an impression on.”

Peaches barked in agreement.