Once in a Lifetime(23)

Ben had come back and worked, and standing there alone in her dark store, in the middle of the night, she’d smiled. And been so grateful.

And confused.

How was it she only liked Ben when he wasn’t here, or when he had his tongue in her mouth?

Now, in the light of day, standing in the same spot, she looked around again. Already so many changes had been made. There was little left of Aunt Gwen’s store—except the heart. The heart was here in spades.

Meow.

And Gus the cat.

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it out of her purse. It was Leah.

“Why are you starting your day without stopping in?”

Leah and Ali had a morning ritual that involved Leah feeding Ali breakfast and Ali putting up a fresh bouquet in Leah’s bakery. “I didn’t know I was part of the equation,” Aubrey said.

“Well, you are. So get your skinny ass over here. I’ve just created a brand-new batch of raspberry Danishes, and Ali’s going to eat them all if you don’t hurry.”

“I don’t have anything to give you in return.”

Meow, Gus said.

“Well, except the cat,” Aubrey said. “And I don’t think you can have a cat in a bakery.”

“I’d take that fat sweetheart in a hot minute if I could,” Leah said.

Aubrey looked down into Gus’s annoyed green eyes and felt her heart squeeze. Nope, even she couldn’t give up the grumpy old man.

“And anyway,” Leah said, “it’s not about what you can give us in return, though you do have books now. I can download right from your website to my e-reader, right?”

“Right,” Aubrey said.

“Well, then, that makes you my new crack. Hurry.” And then she disconnected.

One of the things Aubrey was most proud of was her website, where people could download books to read on any digital device. They could do it from right inside her store or from the comfort of their own homes. She walked out her back door, down the alley about fifteen feet, and into the back door of Leah’s bakery.

Inside the kitchen, Ali was leaning against the workstation, double-fisting Danishes.



“See?” Leah said. “Oh, and be careful when you take one from the box. Sometimes she bites, and I don’t know if she’s had her shots.”

“I’ve totally had my shots,” Ali said. “And anyway, I only bite Luke.”

Aubrey carefully took a Danish, keeping an eye on Ali just in case Leah wasn’t kidding. She took a big bite and then realized both Ali and Leah were looking at her.

“Now,” Ali said to Leah. “Ask her now. While she’s sugar-loading. It’s hard to dodge people when you’re on a sugar high.”

Leah nodded and turned to Aubrey. “So…you’ve been busy.”

“Very,” Aubrey said warily.

“Busy kissing Ben.”

And just like that, Aubrey choked on the Danish.

Leah pushed away from the counter, went to the refrigerator, and poured Aubrey a tall glass of milk.

She drank down the milk. She was no longer choking. Mostly she was stalling for time. “Went down the wrong pipe,” she said.

Ali and Leah were both watching her, waiting, and she sighed and set down the remainder of her Danish. “So this wasn’t really about including me as part of your morning ritual. You wanted to hear the gossip.”

“Actually,” Ali said, “we were hoping for both.”

Leah nudged the Danishes back toward Aubrey. “You always going to be so defensive?”

“Maybe,” Aubrey said, and then caved. “Okay, probably.”

“Listen,” Leah said. “You’re a friend. I think you’re going to be a really good friend. But…”

“But Ben is family,” Aubrey finished. “You’re marrying his cousin. I get that. You’re worried about him.”

“Always,” Leah said. “Even though he’s a big boy, and he’s going to do whatever he wants to do.”

She’d noticed.

“Actually, to be totally honest, we’re a little more worried about you,” Ali said.

This surprised her. “Why?”

“Ben’s not exactly a long-term bet right now,” Ali said.

“And you think I am?”

“Of course,” Ali said. “You had a rough patch and an unfair deal over Asshat Teddy. We both did.”

Leah nodded, and Aubrey realized that what they’d said was true: They were worried—for her. Touched, she set aside her glass. “It really was just a kiss.” Even saying it made her wince a little bit on the inside. First of all, it hadn’t been just a kiss. It’d been the kiss of all kisses. And second, she shouldn’t have allowed it to happen. No matter what she’d told Ben, he was on her list. This meant she had to try to make amends with him, not kiss him. Because when he found out why he was on her list, he wasn’t going to want to kiss her. He was going to want to never see her again…

“I saw the kiss,” Ali said. “I just happened to be outside, on the front sidewalk, talking to Olivia, who runs that very lovely vintage clothing store down the street. And bee-tee-dub, that was no ‘just a kiss’ kiss,” she said. “That was a…wow kiss. I went home and jumped Luke’s bones.”