Emily shook her head a little too quickly. “No, not at all. This is actually a slow hour.”
There were few people in the bakery at this time of day, leaving her completely free to stand here and continue talking to Jack.
Although, she wasn’t sure she should.
She had a strong desire to keep herself busy and to put as much distance between them as possible.
She was afraid of the flutter in her stomach and the lightheaded feeling she got whenever he smiled at her.
He was too endearing, kind, and earnest for his own good.
Jack shifted from one foot to the other and coughed. “So, what do you usually do when it’s slow?”
“Numbers,” Emily revealed with a grimace. “I know it doesn’t sound exciting, but it’s part of running the business.”
“It’s like grading papers. It has to be done.”
Emily nodded and clasped her hands behind her back. “Yeah, pretty much.”
Jack glanced around the bakery, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I think you and your husband did a great job withthe place. Everyone in Falmouth has nothing but praise for the bakery.”
Emily’s stomach clenched, the butterflies erupting into a frenzy. “Oh, thank you. The bakery wasn’t Trevor’s idea though. It was mine. His idea of cooking was grilling stuff on the barbecue, and he couldn’t bake to save his life.”
Jack swung his gaze back to hers and gave her a half smile. “My mom couldn’t bake either. It definitely requires a special touch and a lot of patience.”
Emily draped an arm over her stomach and ignored the thrumming in her ears. “Sometimes.”
Jack stood up straighter and gave her a soft smile. “I think it’s great…what you’re doing here, after everything you’ve been through, I mean, and I just wanted to tell you that.”
A flush crept up Emily’s neck and cheeks. “You too. I mean, I think you’re great too. I mean, what you’re doing is great…with your whole mom thing too…”
Silence stretched between them.
Emily wanted to hide in the back and kick herself. Before she could make her excuses and move, Amy came into the store. She waved at both of them and sat in a booth in the back. Breathing a sigh of relief, Emily stumbled through an excuse and raced over to where Amy sat. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of movement and was both disappointed and relieved that Jack left the bakery with a paper bag in his hand. When she looked back at Amy, the older woman was sitting up in the booth and giving her a knowing look.
“You practically ran over the poor guy to get to me,” Amy commented, the smile never leaving her face. “He’s going to think he did something wrong.”
Emily pushed her hair out of her face. “What? No, it’s definitely not Jack.I’mthe one who needed to get away before I made an even bigger fool of myself.”
Amy set the menu down and motioned to the empty space in front of her. “Do tell.”
Emily sank into the booth, her knees giving out like jelly. “I don’t know what’s the matter with me. He was just being polite, and I was behaving like an awkward teenager. I don’t think I know how to talk to guys anymore.”
Amy’s smile grew. “It’s because you like him, and he obviously likes you. He’s been coming in here a lot more often.”
Emily’s face grew hot as she sputtered, “What? No, he doesn’t like me, and I definitely don’t like him.”
Amy snorted. “Come on, you can’t even say that with a straight face. And what’s wrong with liking each other, anyway?”
Emily made a vague hand gesture. “Everything. I’m mar—Iwasmarried, and I’ve got children—”
“Who are young women now, and they have their own lives,” Amy interrupted gently. “And I’m sure Trevor wouldn’t have wanted you to mourn him forever.”
Emily placed her hands on the table and exhaled. “Well, no, but it feels wrong.”
It didn’t even feel right to discuss any of this—in the bakery, of all places.
The bakery, which had seen Trevor and her through many of their highs and lows. It had been there to witness the birth of both her daughters and all of the milestones between them. The same four walls had seen countless arguments between her and Trevor, and it was this very same place that bore witness to Emily’s nervous breakdown.
