He was busy staring at his shoes instead of acknowledging me. Which made me sad. A month ago, I could have understood exactly what he was trying to say with one look. It was like our brains had a connection that couldn’t be replicated.
But now I was learning that kind of connection could fade. I could no longer read his most basic expressions. Was he mad at me? Happy about the wedding? Annoyed that he had to pick out cakes?
I had no idea.
The man standing in front of me had become a complete mystery. It was like we were meeting for the first time. And it sucked.
“We were waiting for you before we went back to the conference room,” Coralie said as she hooked arms with Shelby and started to guide her to the glass cases on the left.
“Hudson!” she called as she headed toward the swinging door that led to the back. “They’re here!”
Asher didn’t move to follow Coralie and Shelby. He stood there with his hands shoved into the front pocket of his jeans, glancing around. Looking literally everywhere but in my direction. I hated this awkwardness between us. I wanted to fix it so bad, but I didn’t know how.
“This is exciting. Are you excited?” I asked as I fiddled with my purse strap and looked around the bakery before my gaze landed back on Asher. He was studying me now, and when our gazes met, a jolt of electricity rushed through my body. I hadn’t expected that, and the reaction left me breathless and confused.
“I am,” he said with a nod.
“Good.” I held his gaze, wondering what he was thinking and hating that I didn’t automatically know anymore.
He squinted and looked to the left. “So, Gloria wants you to write a story about the wedding?” He glanced back at me.
I nodded. “Yeah.” Then I frowned. “What did you think was going to happen?” I leaned closer to him, ignoring the warmth that washed over me. “You’re marrying the daughter of the mayor of New York. Did you think that this small town would just ignore that fact?”
My heart ached so much that I had to pull back or I thought it was going to break right there on the floor of Sweet Beginnings Bakery.
Why was this so hard?
He chuckled and nodded. “I guess that’s true. I just never see it that way. To me, she’s just Coralie, and her dad is just George.” A soft smile emerged as he studied me. “Will writing this piece help you with Gloria?”
I parted my lips, but I wasn’t sure what to say. His question had caught me off guard. “Um.” I narrowed my eyes. “Probably. I mean, you’re marrying the daughter of a politician. That is going to be front-page news for every paper.” I shifted my weight. “I think Gloria is under the impression that if we break the story first, we’ll gain back the readership we lost with…” My voice drifted off as the memory of what had happened between us due to the Proctors settled around me.
My article. How upset Asher had been. And what he’d said in the hallway of my apartment.
Asher’s jaw was set when I looked up at him. He was staring straight ahead, and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was. Our relationship had changed so much because of those people. If I could, I would hunt them down and give them a piece of my mind. They were horrible, and because of their actions, our friendship was on the chopping block.
“I’m sorry, Asher,” I whispered. I truly was. I hated that I had to write that article. I hated that he felt like I’d attacked him. That hadn’t been my intention. All I’d wanted to do was make sure the good people of Harmony Cove were getting what they were owed.
His gaze snapped to mine as he drew his eyebrows together. He studied me for what felt like an eternity before he shook his head.
“You have nothing to apologize for. I was an idiot. You were just doing your job.” He pushed his hand through his hair. “Never apologize for doing the right thing.”
I appreciated what he said, it was just hard when the right thing had such a disastrous effect on my life. But the last thing I wanted was to put more pressure on our already fraying relationship. So I just smiled and nodded. “Of course.”
“Are you coming?” Coralie’s voice cut through our conversation. We both turned to see her standing there, studying Asher and completely ignoring me.
“Yeah,” Asher said as he turned and headed in her direction.
I followed behind him, forcing myself into reporter mode. I reached into my purse and grabbed my phone so I could start taking pictures. I needed something to do with my hands or I was going to go crazy.
Coralie led us through the kitchen and stopped at an opening to the left. My sour stomach from earlier returned in a tidal wave as I stepped into the small conference room, where Shelby was sitting with who I could only assume was Hudson.
He was tall and tan. His blond hair was sun bleached, and he looked more like a surfer than a baker. His muscular arms were tattooed, and his salmon-pink shirt, with the logo of Sweet Beginnings Bakery on the front, strained against his muscles as he moved. Of all the people I’d imagined to be the baker, this man was not what I pictured at all.
“Sit,” Coralie said as she sat down on one of the two empty chairs before motioning to the one next to her.
Asher turned to look at me. “What about?—”
“You don’t mind standing, do you Ella?” Coralie glanced over her shoulder in my direction. Her gaze was pointed, as if she was daring me to object.
