Page 8 of Autumn Skies & Pumpkin Pies

When I wake up in my bed, I pinch myself. I’m certain that last night was a dream that my overactive imagination has fabricated on its own. There is no possible way that Rocker Gordon kissed me on the football field in the midst of our entire town after winning our homecoming game. I mean, that kind of stuff only happens in movies and books, so there’s no way it happened to me, right?

However, I’m still in the same position and place when after the pinch so maybe, just maybe, it’s true. I feel like I’m on cloud nine. When I roll over and look at the clock, I know exactly what I’m going to do today. Once I pull myself from my bed I shower, get dressed, and grab my bike from the garage. As I ride through the quiet streets of Blue Ridge, I realize that last night did happen. I look up and see the leaves have turned to that beautiful dark, burnt orange color. It’s almost as if everything changed overnight. I know I did.

My mind replays last night over and over on my way to June Bug’s Bakery. I pass some early morning workers and the middle school boy who does the paper route, but other than that, it’s just me and my thoughts. By the time I reach the bakery, I’ve convinced myself that Rocker was just caught up in the moment. He’ll probably act like it never happened, so I need to get my head on straight. Right now, I’m acting like a schoolgirl. Rocker had just won the game and I’m sure he impressed the college scout he had mentioned earlier in the week. His adrenaline was soaring, and the kiss was just a reaction from the excitement he had going on. I’m sure it meant nothing to him. Now, if only it hadn’t meant everything to me.

I park my bike in the alley and knock on the door three times. A few minutes later, my granny opens the door. Her long silver hair piled on top of her head and her brown eyes wide and awake. “Well, I didn’t expect to see you so early this morning.”

“Why not? I always come around this time on the weekends to help you,” I tell her, as I step inside and lock the door back. I toss my purse into the corner, my go-to copy of Pride and Prejudice slides out onto the floor. I place the book back in my bag and grab my pumpkin printed apron.

My granny is mixing a bowl, but I see her shoulder shrug as I approach. “I just figured that after that big game last night you might sleep in for once.”

I laugh. I don’t think I’ve ever really slept in before. My body has always been an early riser. “This is me we’re talking about. Someone needs to tell my body that it can sleep in.”

“Well, you know I’m always thankful for the help. You can start mixing the batter for the muffins,” she says, as she points to the other side of the table where the ingredients are strewn about. We work in silence for a good while. That’s one of my favorite things about baking. It’s a quiet process but relaxing. Finally, my granny asks, “So, how was the game?” I tell her all about it and the smile on her face only grows. As the sun starts to rise, the bakery starts to smell like all my favorite scents pumpkin, apple, cinnamon, spice, and all those other amazing fall scents. Granny checks her watch. “I’m going to unlock. Do me a favor and pull those out?”

“You got it,” I tell her. Opening the oven, my stomach growls as the apple cinnamon muffins hit my nostrils. They smell amazing.

Granny calls out to me, “Bee, you’ve got a visitor.” That’s odd I think, but I pull all the muffins from the ovens first and place them on the cooling racks before I head into the dine-in bakery. I can’t imagine Teaganne would be up this early on a Saturday, but I don’t know who else would show up here. However, when I enter, I find Rocker standing on the other side of the counter talking to my granny. His eyes instantly move to me and lock in. My granny giggles and winks at me. “I’ll be in the back starting the pies.” As she walks past me, she pats me on the shoulder.

“Rocker, what are you doing here?” I finally ask. I can feel the blush on my cheeks from the intensity of his stare.

Rocker stands up a little taller and clears his throat. “I was looking for you. I was sitting outside on your porch steps when your dad came out to get the morning paper. He told me you weren’t home and where I could find you. I was just waiting for someone to unlock the doors.”

“How long were you out there?” I ask.

He checks the watch on his wrist. “Well at your house about thirty minutes. Outside the bakery for about an hour.”

“You’ve waited an hour and half to see me, why?” Confusion is clear in my voice. I can’t imagine what would be so important for him to go to all these measures. Unless he’s worried I read too much into the kiss last night. The blush on my cheeks deepens. This is so embarrassing. I need to downplay everything last night, so we don’t ruin our friendship.

Rocker gives me a curious look. “I wanted to see you and talk about last night.”

“Oh,” I say, then wave my hand dismissively. “You don’t have to. I know you just got caught up in the moment. You don’t have to explain that to me.”

“That wasn’t it, Warbee. I mean, yes I was caught up in the moment, but that wasn’t why I kissed you.” Rocker moves down the counter to the glass case that displays some of the baked goods, closer to where I’m standing. “I kissed you because I wanted to. I’m here because I have a question for you.” Emotions clog my throat. I try to swallow it down, but I can’t so eventually, I just nod for him to continue. “I know you were planning on going to the dance tonight with your friends, but I was hoping you might make a last-minute change.”

“Okay…”

Rocker glances down and for the first time I notice he’s holding something in his hands. He raises up the clear plastic box that holds a corsage. I don’t know where he got a corsage at this time in the morning but there is a beautiful corsage sitting in the box all white and blue to match my dress. “Will you go to the dance with me tonight?”

I’m stunned. Words won’t form in my mouth. I never thought I’d be one of those girls to crush out on a guy or want him to go to some silly high school dance with me, but here I am. My heart is beating erratically and it’s all I want. I nod my head and whisper, “Yes.”

Rocker smiles at me and lets out a breath I hadn’t realized he had been holding. “I’d really like to kiss you again, but I don’t want to come around the counter.” Without another word, I walk around the counter and straight into his arms where my lips find his.

TEN

Warbee

The rest of my day is so busy, it flies by. After Rocker finally left the bakery, I called Teaganne and told her what had happened this morning. She was so excited, she squealed into the phone and nearly deafened me then proceeded to tell me how Keefer had finally asked her to be his official date. I was so excited for her. I knew Keefer being her date would make for the perfect homecoming dance for her. Teaganne then tells me what time she will pick me up and runs through the list of things we have to do. My stress level instantly skyrockets, until my granny steps in front of me and pushes an apple cinnamon muffin into my hand. It’s her own secret recipe and my favorite.

Later, after things at the bakery finally slow down, Teaganne arrives, order’s two spiced apple ciders and a dozen of our favorite muffins before she drags me from the bakery. My bike is momentarily forgotten in the rush. The town is still buzzing from the football game win last night. The windows of the local shops are still painted. A banner hangs on main street and streamers are still taped to all the light poles in the downtown area.

When we finally reach my house, Teaganne and I eat a couple of muffins before we head to my room to start getting ready. My stress has turned into nerves because I’m really not sure what to expect tonight, and the unexpected makes me nervous. Teaganne unzips one of the garment bags she laid on my bed. Inside is a white lace crop top with splashes of blue and a high waisted tulle skirt layered in blue and white. It’s absolutely perfect and everything I could want in a formal dress. “Oh goodness, Teaganne.” I step forward and run my hands over the tulle of the skirt. “How in the world did you manage to make something so perfect in such a short amount of time?”

Teaganne beams. “This was easy. Besides, I wanted to make sure you had the perfect homecoming dress which is good since you now have the perfect date.”

I roll my eyes. “No one is perfect,” I remind her.

“You know what I mean,” she replies with a laugh. “Now, let’s start with some makeup!”

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