Baking Me Crazy (Donner Bakery, #1)(18)

The look in her eyes was surprisingly sad even as she smiled at me. Her hand came up to cup the side of my face.

"Sweet girl," she said, rubbing her thumb over my cheekbone. "You couldn't be terrible at something if you tried."

My eyes pricked hot, and I blinked quickly. "I'd be terrible at running sprints."

She laughed, unsurprised by my humor after five years, then dropped her hand back to the counter. "How did he act after he saw you today?"

My teeth worried against my bottom lip. "He was shocked but professional. No flirty vibe today, that's for sure."

Mrs. B nodded. "Well, I think you should just get to know him better. If he was flirting with you at the bakery, it means he's a man of exceptional taste."

"You're only a little biased."

She was smiling as she started dropping the frosting over the top of the strawberry cake. Just as I'd taught her, she spun the turntable that held the cake in order to smooth the frosting easier. Her eyes stayed trained on what she was doing when she spoke next. "Have you talked to Levi about this?"

Her voice sounded a little strained.

I shrugged. "Not yet. It felt … I don't know … awkward to bring it up."

She swallowed. "I can understand that. One of those times when you just want a woman's opinion."

"Exactly." I exhaled. "But he's my best friend, so I should talk to him about it, shouldn't I? Maybe he could give me guy tips. Tell me if I'm crazy for thinking Girl in the Wheelchair has a shot. No offense to the general male population, but they do have a bit of a harder time overlooking allll this," I said, waving my hand in the vicinity of my chair and legs.

Mrs. B stopped spinning the cake and took a deep breath.

"What's with the sad eyes?" I asked, suddenly uncomfortable for a reason I couldn't quite pinpoint. "I sure hope you're not starting to pity me after five years."

Immediately, she set down the spatula and came to stand in front of me. With both hands, she grabbed my face. Her hazel eyes, exactly like her son's, weren't sad. They were blazing.

"No one in this family pities you, Jocelyn Marie," she said fiercely. "I pity anyone who overlooks or underestimates you. Do you understand me?"

I nodded, inhaling shakily. This time, I didn't try to blink away the moisture pooling in my eyes. She wrapped me in a rib-crushing hug, and I exhaled into her embrace.

When she pulled away, her eyes were bright with tears too. "Good. Now, I need to get this cake done and hidden in the fridge before the boys come home and think they can eat it."

Laughing at the truth of that, I slid off the stool and back into my chair. "Okay. I think I'm going to lie down for a little bit. I'm tired."

She kissed the top of my head. "I'll tell Levi to be quiet when he gets back."

"Love you, Mrs. B," I told her as I pushed my chair back.

Damn it, and that gave her sad eyes again. "We love you too, honey. More than you know."

Her words settled sweet and heavy in my chest as I rolled out of the garage and over the driveway to Levi's apartment. In my head, I turned them over and over as I lifted my tired body out of my chair and up onto Levi's couch.

The air conditioning kicked on, and I reached back to grab his favorite blanket off the back of the couch. It smelled like him, like my best friend. Burrowing my nose in it, I took a deep breath and slowly drifted off to sleep.





Chapter 6





Levi





"If you think you ran that third mile faster than me, you're on drugs," I told Connor as he pulled his truck onto our street.

My brother side-eyed me. "I absolutely did."

"This is why I don't work out with you anymore. You're a pathological liar."

He was grinning. "Okay, sweet cheeks. Whatever helps you sleep at night."

My phone vibrated from the side pocket of my gym bag. I pulled it out and scrolled down until I found the email notification. "Awesome," I muttered. "Another 'your resume looks impressive, but we're looking for a candidate with more experience' reply." The third such one I'd gotten in the past three days. Tossing my phone down into the bag, I shook my head. "How the hell are you supposed to get experience if no one will give you a shot?"

Connor frowned in sympathy. "It's tough out there."

"I'm getting bored, man."

"Being J's personal chauffeur isn't cutting it for you anymore?"

The look I gave him should've shriveled up his balls, but he merely grinned back at me. "I'm spending the same amount of time with her that I do every summer."

"Mmkay."

"Shut up." I swallowed, not ready to admit out loud what I'd already started to think about in my head. "Man, what if I can't find a job around here? Green Valley doesn't have anything for me, and no one in Maryville is hiring. I've submitted to every place in Knoxville that's even close to what I want to be doing."

Connor sighed. "And if you start looking much farther …"

I nodded. "I'm gonna have to move, and I don't want to leave her. I don't even care how pathetic that makes me sound; it's the truth."