Chapter 2

TWO

ANDY

“T hey’re sold out,” I said, as I leaned against the doorframe of Julian’s office–the owner of Lakeside Pub. “Do you have a backup plan?”

“Shit.” He stopped typing and shook his head. “Fuck. I can’t believe I forgot to grab some on the way in this morning.”

“Anika added us to the order sheet for every day this month.” I shrugged. “Which, I know, doesn’t help us for tonight.”

“They’ll have to go without.” Julian started typing again. “It’s only one day.”

“Okay.” I pushed off the doorframe and took one step before stopping. “Hey, did you know someone is helping Anika in the bakery?”

“Who? Willow?” Julian never looked up. “She’s not new. I think she’s been there since the beginning of the year. Why?”

“No reason.” There was no point in continuing the conversation when Julian worked on the computer. He was a great guy, except when he had to deal with monthly numbers. “I’ll find a replacement for the stollen bread tonight.”

For the whole month of December, we served Glühwein, a German mulled wine, paired with a slice of stollen bread for a unique touch. The bread perfectly complemented the warm drink with its fruit, spices, and marzipan center.

I stood in the center of the dry storage room, trying to think about a replacement for the bread, when I heard a knock at the back door.

They knocked again. “I’m coming.” I pushed the door open. “Yeah.” It was her —the woman from the bakery.

“Hi, sorry to bother you.”

“Willow, right?” I pushed the door open further. “Andy.”

“It’s nice to meet you.” She smiled.

She was holding a bag with both hands. “Anika found this in the freezer for you tonight?” She handed me the bag.

“What is it?”

She paused before answering. “Fruit cake.”

“American fruit cake?”

“Um, yeah.” I stared at the bag before adding, “If you don’t want it, we understand.” She stepped forward and reached for the bag.

“It should be fine.” I took a step back. “Come on in.” There was a prep table in the middle of the room. “Well, I think it will be fine, but I don’t know if Julian will agree.”

“What am I not agreeing to?” Julian stepped out of his office and made his way over to the prep table. “It’s nice to see you again, Willow.”

“Same to you.” She smiled. “Anika found a fruit cake in the freezer and wanted you to have it.”

“American fruit cake?” Julian opened the bag, pulled the cake out, and groaned. “I’ll say it’s okay if you both agree to one thing?”

“Sure.” I knew exactly what he meant.

Willow glanced my way, and I nodded. “Um, okay.”

“My brother can never know we served American fruit cake.” He closed the bag and sighed.

“Who’s your brother?” I tried not to laugh at Willow’s question, but she looked confused.

Julian scowled. “You’ve been in Crystal Shores for over a year, right?”

“Ten months.”

“And you don’t know my brother, August? Owner of the restaurant next door?” Julian seemed shocked.

“To be fair, I don’t know you all that well, either.” Willow shrugged. Julian laughed and left the room. “I hope I didn’t offend him.”

“Nope.” I shrugged. “He doesn’t offend easily.”

“Good.” She turned to leave. “I hope that works for tonight. Tomorrow, you can pick up your order after 9:00 a.m.”

“Thank you.” I stood there staring at the door as she left. You rarely meet someone living in a small town who doesn’t know one of the more popular restaurants. Something about her honesty made my body react. The feeling took me by surprise.

Razem was a casual dining restaurant that served Polish and German food with some Midwest vibes. At the pub, we served some of the menu items perfect for bar food.

I glanced in the bag and groaned. The fruit cake would be too sweet for the mulled wine, but beggars can’t be choosers.

Before I carried the fruit cake up front, I needed to run to the dry storage for two bottles of bourbon and a bottle of Glühwein. The Maker’s Mark bourbon was on the bottom shelf. I bent down to grab it, and at the same moment, a memory slammed into me.

I could see my ex was holding two shot glasses in front of her, and she had the biggest smile splashed across her face. We were celebrating our twelfth anniversary with shots of bourbon and butternut squash-filled ravioli.

I shook my head free of the memory and carried everything up front.

“Have you tried the cake yet?” Julian stepped up beside me.

“No, but I feel it’s going to be too sweet for the mulled wine.” I set the bag down and put the bottles of alcohol away. “Do you want me to serve it still?”

He grabbed a knife and cut a slice. “Let’s find out.” He handed me half of the slice. His reaction was hilarious. “Nope.” He set the remainder of his piece on the bar.

“It’s not that bad.” I finished the piece. “Sweet, but it will work.”

“Are you bad-mouthing my fruit cake?” Anika sat down on a barstool and rested her hands on the bar.

Julian rolled his eyes. “It’s not your cake I don’t like.”

“I know.” She giggled. “Fruit cake is not for everyone.”

I grabbed Julian’s discarded piece. “It’s delicious. Your recipe is different from any I’ve had before.”

“Why, thank you, Andy.” Anika smiled. “I wanted to pop in before I headed home and tell you I’m sorry about the stollen bread.”

“It’s not your fault.” Julian’s phone beeped. “I need to grab this, but thank you for bringing the backup.” He waved and disappeared into the back.

“Hey, I also wanted to apologize to you.” She placed her hand on my forearm.

“Me? Why?” I had no idea what she was talking about.

“I should’ve introduced you to Willow earlier.” She hopped off the barstool. “Especially if you’re going to buy bread from us weekly.”

“We met when she dropped off the backup bread.” I pointed to the fruit cake.

“Good.” She blew a kiss as she was leaving. “See you tomorrow morning.”

Willow was stunning. Anyone with eyes could figure that out.

And my body did react when her hand grazed over mine as she passed me the fruit cake.

Then, the memory of my ex invaded my thoughts. It had been almost a year since she left, and I still found it hard to think about another woman.

After all this time, I didn’t miss my ex anymore, but I did miss being with someone. Maybe it was time to get back on the horse and try again.