12. Chapter 12

12

S oren tapped his driver on her shoulder. "Elowine, I need to make a stop at Rae's."

"Sure thing, boss," she replied as she slowly drove the SUV through the main street of Inverwick. At the next block, she pulled into an open parking spot in front of Rae's Bakery.

At barely past dawn, the charming bakery had just opened for the day, but the regulars were already filing in for their usual cups of coffee and pastries.

Recently expanded and remodeled, Rae's Bakery was a long-standing business of Inverwick and stood at the heart of the small town of ten thousand residents. A year ago, Rae purchased the unit around the corner, gutted both units, and rebuilt it into a single large corner unit. Large glass windows displaying cakes, cookies, and breads faced the street. The exterior was painted a sunny yellow, with prominent black-and-white striped awnings, complete with scalloped edges, hung across the windows. Running above the awnings were the words "Rae's Bakery." One look at the exterior and people felt compelled to go inside. Once inside, people usually couldn't help but treat themselves to something sweet.

Ilaria gazed through the window at the storefront. "This is Rae's?" she asked, sounding surprised. "The place looks incredible." She glanced up and down the street. "The whole block looks brand new."

Soren felt a sense of pride that not only Rae's, but many other businesses, had undergone improvements, many of them major. The upscale look drove more tourism, and everyone benefited. He considered Inverwick his home now, more so than Edinburgh, and he wanted everyone in this town to thrive.

Soren opened the door of the SUV. "A lot of it is new," he confirmed. "Everyone's spent the last year renovating." He hopped out of the car. "I'm going to pick up breakfast for everyone. Want to come in and say hi?" He knew Rae's was Ilaria's favorite bakery.

She immediately pushed open the car door and jumped out. Next time he wanted her to do what he asked, he should come prepared with something from Rae's, he thought wryly.

He walked ahead and opened the front door to the bakery for her. He watched her face light up with wonder as she caught her first glimpse of the interior, which was even more impressive than the exterior. The expanded store allowed for an eye-catching custom circular display case. Modern pendant lighting hung directly above, showcasing the sweet and savory foods.

Ilaria beamed when she saw Rae, the proprietor, behind the display, stacking chocolate croissants for the morning rush. Soren's heart thudded.

"Rae!" Ilaria rushed inside, opening her arms wide.

"Oh my goodness, is that Ilaria?" Rae ran out from behind the display, and the two women clung to each other and laughed. Soren stopped in front of the display and watched the reunion.

"How long has it been since I've seen you?" Rae pulled back to get a better look at the younger woman. "At least a few years. And my word, you are even more beautiful than I remember." She turned to Soren. "Isn't she?"

Beautiful isn't enough to describe her.

They both turned to look at him, Ilaria's eyes turning wary and smile dimming.

He smiled warmly at Rae and gave her peck on the cheek. "Rae, you're looking well," he said.

"I'm doing wonderful. As you can see—" she said to Ilaria as she motioned with her arms, "—we've redone the place. We've been able to add more items to the menu, and we're expanding our hours just in time for summer. I also hired more staff."

She reached over to put her arm around Soren. "And business is booming, thanks to this man."

Ilaria's eyes slid over to his, brows raised.

Soren stayed silent, so Rae filled in the blanks. "The MacGregors lent me the money to do all this. And at a much better rate than the bank. I never would have been able to build all this without Soren's help."

Ilaria nodded slowly as her eyes passed between Rae and Soren. "That's very generous," she said.

He couldn't read Ilaria's expression, so instead he put his arm around Rae's shoulders. "Consider it a debt repaid for all the times you fed a scrawny teenager." Soren owed Rae far more than just the food she fed him after he moved in with his uncle. She was the only warm female presence in his life when he needed comfort and encouragement. She was like a favorite aunt.

Rae laughed. "You needed every bite of those croissants and cakes, you were so thin." She leaned back and looked up at him. "But now you're looking strong and healthy." She winked at Ilaria, who ignored Soren and smiled affectionately at Rae.

"You deserve this, Rae," she said. "You work harder than anyone I know."

Soren watched how the light in Ilaria's eyes shone with real genuineness and marveled at her effortless ability to connect with others.

Rae waved her hand in modest dismissal. "Oh, pshaw," she grinned. "It's not work when you're doing what you love."

Ilaria wrapped her arms around Rae again. "I'm so glad to see you." Soren heard the subtle catch in her words and the brief sadness that passed over her face before it smoothed out again.

"Oh, love, me too." Rae squeezed her arm, then frowned a little. She must have noticed something in Ilaria's face. "Tell me what you want to eat. It's on me."

"Thanks, Rae. Just a plain croissant."

Rae went back around the display case and grabbed an empty box. "Are you sure? I don't want to be rude, honey, but you're looking a little thin."

Soren had noticed immediately when he pulled Ilaria out of the rental car that she had lost weight.

"Rae, we'll get an assortment," Soren jumped in. "The whole family's up at the house and they'll be upset if they knew I was here and didn't get them something."

"Ah, perfect," she said. "I'll take care of you." One of her staff members came to help box up the goodies.

As they worked, Soren stepped closer to Ilaria. "She'll be upset if we don't leave with half the store," he said in a low voice. Ilaria's mouth quirked up.

"Love," Rae called to Ilaria. "I hope you'll still be in town for the summer celebration."

Ilaria's brows went up in question.

"It's Inverwick's annual kickoff to the start of summer," she explained. "It's two nights from tonight. Everyone who's anyone will be there." She lifted her chin at Soren. "Including the MacGregors."

Ilaria looked at him, and he nodded. "We make a point of attending every year."

She smiled at Rae. "That sounds like a lot of fun."

Soren could tell she only said that for Rae's benefit, that with everything going on, a celebration was the last thing on her mind. But he decided he'd find a way to convince her to come along.

Rae loaded the bakery boxes into bags and slid them across the counter to Soren. "Here you go, love. Hope everyone enjoys them."

Soren handed her a bill. She put her hand out to push the money away. "Soren MacGregor, I'm insulted that you think you should pay in my store. Now go. I've got other customers to help."

"For your employees, then." He dropped the large bill into the tip jar and leaned down to give her another kiss. "Thanks, Rae. Love you."

"Love you, honey. You too, Ilaria. See you both at the summer celebration." Rae waved as they walked out.

Soren loaded the bags into the trunk of the car, snagging one croissant with a napkin. He climbed back into the car and handed the pastry to Ilaria. "Eat."

She put her hands up. "I'm fine. I'll eat when we get to the house—"

"Love." He cut her off. "You were hungry earlier, and those gummy bears didn't do a goddamn thing. So just eat this now, will you? Please."

He never said "please." But with Ilaria, he'd do a lot of things he normally wouldn't do.

She eyed him warily and took the croissant. She continued to watch him carefully as she took a bite.

"Mmm." Her eyes closed briefly in pure pleasure. That, and the sound she made, shot straight to his groin. And he could suddenly feel the front of his pants tightening as if he was a teenage boy again with no self-control.

He placed his arm across his lap and stared out the window, trying to hold it together. The flash of uncontrolled desire reminded him of the last time she was in town.

The memory hit him like a bolt of lightning. Ilaria and her parents were visiting for ten days on their UK trip that spring. Soren had been out of the house all day, meeting with his general managers at the various restaurants they owned. Galen had suggested he meet everyone for dinner at Salt had just lain dormant without Ilaria around to remind him. But seeing her, touching her, brought it all back with the force of a hurricane.

And he realized he had always been fooling himself.

You'll get your heart broken. Yes, he had warned her. What he didn't realize was that his own heart would get broken, too.