Page 67 of Hold the Line

She disappeared into the back at the same time the door chimed, drawing my attention. My heart slid into my throat as Deacon sauntered in, his head swiveling left and right, checking out who was in the shop. It was almost closing time. My two lingerers were pecking away on their laptops, but otherwise, it was pretty quiet.

When his eyes landed on me, I was already circling the counter, on my way to him. He met me halfway but stopped before touching me.

“Hey,” he uttered, low and cool.

“Hey yourself.”

I wanted to reach for him, but more than that, I wanted him to grab hold of me. So I waited. He looked around, tipping his chin to Charlie, our resident budding author who’d been working on his book for the three years Sugar Rush had been open.

His warm gaze came back to mine, sweeping up the length of me before settling on my eyes.

“Busy day?” he asked.

“Busy in a good way.” I smooth my hands over my apron, drawing his attention to it. This one had ruffles along the edges and heart-shaped pockets. Of course, it was pink.

He lowered his voice to barely a whisper. “You look so damn cute. I wanna gather you up, haul you out of here, and keep you for myself.”

My silly heart flipped like a turtle. “I’d like you to do all that, but could we start with a hug?”

“If you’re all right with me hugging you in the middle of your workplace.”

“I’m more than all right with it, honey. I’m kinda asking for it.”

Breaking into a grin, he stepped forward, caught me around the waist, and pulled me against him. I got my hug, warm and tight, and a sweet, firm kiss on my neck when he buried his face there.

“That’s a much better greeting,” I said, shoving my arms beneath his canvas jacket to wrap them around his middle.

“Exactly the kind I like with you.” He pulled back, but not before brushing his lips over mine. “This is new territory for us, and I know how seriously you take your business. I didn’t want to presume anything.”

“Thank you for that.” I flattened my palms on his chest. “But I’m pretty much always going to want a hug from you. You can presume away.”

“Got it.”

I tilted my head toward the bakery case. “Do you want to pick out something to eat while you hang out?”

“Never turn down your baking, baby.”

As he leaned over the counter to survey what was left, I glanced toward the back, spotting Hailey approaching. My smile grew. “Oh my gosh, you’ve got to meet my part-timer. She’s always asking about you and me. It’s so cute. She’s going to flip when she meets you.”

Deacon straightened, and his gaze slid past me, locking onto the doorway. He jerked back as though he’d been struck. Heart thudding, I spun around to find Hailey frozen and wide-eyed, her mouth gaping.

“Hailey,” Deacon rasped. “You—”

A panicked yelp interrupted him. Before I could process the sound, Hailey bolted. Darting around the counter, she yanked the door open and fled onto the sidewalk.

“What was that?” I gasped.

Deacon staggered after her, his movements heavy and unsteady. Shock rooted me to the spot as he shoved the door open and stepped outside, stopping just beyond the threshold, shoulders tense, fists clenched at his sides. His head dropped forward in what looked like defeat.

He didn’t come back inside.

Not when I shook off my stupor and began the necessary process of cleaning the shop. Not when I ushered my two stragglers out and flipped the sign to “closed.” Not when I turned off the lights and set the alarm.

I found him waiting at the mouth of the alley between my building and the one next to it. He fell into step with me, taking the canvas bag from my shoulder and slipping it onto his own. His fingers found mine and clasped tightly.

He did this without uttering a word. My mind had been whirring since Hailey had streaked out of my shop. I’d come up with a guess as to who she was to Deacon, but I would rather he told me himself.

But he seemed like he’d gone offline. We walked in silence until we turned off Main Street and onto our road. It was quieter here, fewer people around to overhear our conversation.

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