Page 18 of Make You Mine

“Time for me to get a move on, Nimbus.” I gently shifted him onto the knitted throw in the corner of the couch and stood, smiling as he stretched and then went back to sleep. Nimbus, a floppy gray and white ragdoll cat, acted like a baby when tired. He’d be out for a few hours. I covered him with the corner of the blanket and patted his fluffy little head.

Whether or not Ren stopped by, I was going to get my ass up and do something. Sitting around and feeling sorry for myself was pointless. I’d start by washing my face. He had seen enough of me with green cheeks, for the love of god.

Feeling more like my usual upbeat self, I grinned, my wide smile cracking the dried, green face mask around my cheeks, the flakes falling to the floor.

I was supposed to put the finishing touches on the bakery’s grand opening day. Something Sweet’s grand opening was coming up soon. It was a childhood dream come true to create beautiful wedding cakes, cupcakes, and a variety of other sweet treats for a living. We were throwing a big party, and I was in charge of the planning, but Richard had killed my mood. Damn him.

I stomped into the bathroom and splashed warm water on my face, taking a washcloth from the shelf to wipe away the remnants of my face mask. I decided being mad was better than being sad as I glanced around my downstairs bathroom. I took in the cozy, old-fashioned, floral décor. I had enjoyed choosing it when I moved in.

It was important to focus on the positive aspects of my life, like my house, the bakery’s grand opening, my cats, and finally getting Cody back.

If Ren didn’t show up today, it didn’t matter. My happiness didn’t depend on him or any man. And screw Richard. I was done with letting him ruin my life. I had plans to make: to throw an epic opening day bakery party and get my dog back.

I finished drying my face, feeling better and ready to start my day, even if it meant facing the unknown with Ren. I had embarrassed myself, but he seemed kind enough to let it go. He would make a good friend, I decided as I took one last look in the mirror.

With a renewed sense of determination, I headed upstairs to my bedroom. It was done up in soft pastels. It was serene and all things girly, exactly as I’d always wanted.

At my vanity, I slicked on some pink lip gloss, took down my messy bun, and ran a brush through my hair. Then I slipped on a pair of my best jeans, dark blue, faded at the knees, and they did great things for my ass. I added my favorite chunky white cable knit sweater, oversized and soft. I needed to feel good about myself again.

I glanced in the mirror as I slipped into a pair of Converse. Dressing like this might have been a subtle attempt to impress Ren if he showed up, but it was also about reclaiming my confidence and taking control of my day. No more moping around in my pajamas and ratty old robe.

I took a deep breath, feeling the soft fabric of my sweater brush against my skin, and smiled. Ready to tackle my to-do list for Something Sweet’s opening, I grabbed my notebook and pen, determined to stay busy. Then, a knock at the door sent my mind whirling all over again.

I flew down the stairs, my heart pounding with anticipation and curiosity. After taking a moment at the bottom, I steadied my breath and opened the door to reveal Ren leaning casually against the porch rail, his eyes twinkling in the sunlight. My racing heart skipped a foolish beat, but luckily, I quickly regained my composure.

“Hey, I had a feeling it was you,” I blurted a bit too excitedly.

He straightened and offered me a cup of take-out coffee. “Well, I couldn’t leave you to face this all alone, could I? Eliza said to tell you hi, and she told me your favorite drink is a hazelnut latte.” He eyed me carefully. Concern for me was etched all over his face.

“Thank you.” I took the drink and stepped aside to let him in, feeling nervous and relieved at the same time. I was surprised that his presence was such a comfort. But at the same time it was also sort of unsettling, stirring emotions I wasn’t entirely ready to face—like moving on, hope for the future, crap like that.

As he walked past me, I caught a whiff of his cologne. He smelled so good, like sandalwood and pine, as if he had showered and run through the forest after. I fought the urge to rub against him and inhale deeply. He was playing with my mind without even trying. Suddenly, I realized that when Richard and I were together, he had to put in effort to evoke these feelings in me, while Ren simply had to exist. I needed to nip this burgeoning crush in the bud before my imagination took it too far.

He turned to face me, his expression softening as he took in my appearance. “You look great, by the way,” he said. His voice was warm and genuine, and my nerves flew away.

“Thank you.”

“Are you feeling better?” He sipped his coffee as he studied my face. “You look better.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for freaking out on you before. I was stuck in the moment with Richard and couldn’t stop thinking I’d never see Cody again. It was irrational, but I couldn’t stop the thoughts from coming.”

“No apologies. I’m glad I was there. I see a notebook. Are you making plans?” He watched me carefully as if he cared. Like he would listen to whatever I had to say, I meanreallylisten. I could get used to this. If a man didn’t look at me like Ren did right now, I didn’t want him.

“I’m supposed to be planning the grand opening of the bakery. And I’m really trying to be happy about it.”

“Tell me all about it.”

“It’s called Something Sweet. It’s wedding themed—you know, something borrowed, something blue, something old and something new… Anyway, this whole thing is ironic now, since I no longer believe in love and my business partner is the one Richard cheated on me with.”

“Ouch. Do you want to talk about it? Should I be in the loop as your date?”

“It would probably be a good idea to cover the basics at least. I went to culinary school with Dana. We were never best friends, but we were friendly. Our goals aligned, and we decided to work together. I won a bunch of baking competitions, and along with that, enough money to fund whatever I wanted to do. She was ready to start her own business as well. So we talked, made a deal, and then made a plan. Then she slept with Richard, and they are currently together. Richard has been trying to get me to forgive her. Apparently, she feels bad, like boo hoo, right? That’s about it. Now, cheer me up. Let’s be friends. Can we do that?”

“Absolutely.” He leaned against the staircase banister with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I think we need to establish the ground rules before we do anything together.”

“Rules?” I teased. “It’s just a few pretend dates, not some kind of secret society we’re trying to infiltrate.”

“Exactly, but if we’re going to pull this off, we need a game plan. We can’t have people thinking we’re just friends. We need rumors to start flying for both of us. Richard might be comfortable messing with you, but now that I’m here? No one messes with you.”

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