Page 23 of Autumn Wishes and Pumpkin Kisses

Silas was busy packing a bag of football gear while Seraphina dances along with Mickey Mouse on the TV screen. I dial Dixie’s number. “Good morning, Teaganne.”

“You and your son must be telepathic,” I joke.

Dixie laughs. “Oh no, he just called to let me know you’d be calling.”

“I should have guessed. He knew before I knew,” I laugh, and my heart feels light. “I appreciate your offer, but I also don’t want to interrupt your schedule.”

“It’s no interruption at all. I’m a stay at home mom at heart. I’ll always be that way. Jeremy is retired now, but he loves to fish so he’s gone a good portion of the day. My boys don’t seem to be in any hurry to give me grandkids, so I’ll claim yours if you’ll let me.” Her voice is so light and happy and dare I say eager.

“Well, I’d love to take you up on the offer. I’ll pay you though. It’s time and effort for these two of mine. I know first-hand and if I place them in a daycare, I’d be paying someone, so it only seems fair it goes to you.”

Dixie scoffs. “You’ve got to be kidding me. You will absolutely not pay me, young lady. You bring those babies of yours over here so you can get to work and the rest is said and done.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I tell her. I feel like I just got scolded and I guess in a way I did. After I disconnect the phone call, I gather the kids and we head to Dixie’s. She’s outside eagerly waiting and both of my kids jump with excitement when they see her. All of their reactions make me feel better about leaving them. As I pull away from Dixie’s, my cell phone goes off once more. When I see the name on the screen, I pull off to the side of the road because there’s definitely no good that could come from this phone call.

TWENTY

Keefer

I’m on the phone with Brett, one of the techs that’s watching over my company in the Atlanta office. I promised my employees that when I decided to move to Blue Ridge, we would do weekly meetings via Zoom or Skype. I didn’t plan on this today though, but when he called with what he thought was an emergency I squeezed it in. For the last hour, I’ve listened to him go on and on about this big project. Don’t get me wrong, the project is big but I’m not sure why he’s panicking over it. Brett is one of the best in the business. He has a natural understanding of what the client wants before they even do. “Brett, you need to breathe. You’re panicking for no reason.”

“It’s just this is the first big project since you left us in charge of this office,” Brett sighs heavily on the other end of the line. He rings his hands through his hair roughly.

Calmly, I nod. “Yes, it is and you’re doing great. Stop overthinking this. You know exactly what needs to be done. You always do. I wouldn’t have moved if I didn’t fully believe you could handle it.”

My phone lights up again. That’s the fourth time. It’s silenced but every time the screen comes to life, I see it. I see her name and my hand itches to pick it up. Considering that when I entered this Zoom call Brett was near a colossal breakdown, I’ve opted to ignore the calls until I’m finished here. However, I’m starting to worry. I have this sinking feeling in my gut that’s just telling me something is wrong. Then there’s the fact that Teaganne isn’t one to call so many times in a row if it isn’t important. I really need to wrap this up so I can check in with her. After another thirty minutes of breaking down the rest of the projects my tech company is working on, I log off the Zoom. Instantly, I grab my cell phone and without checking the rest of my messages I call Teaganne. It goes straight to voicemail. I try a couple more times but get the same response so on the third try I leave a voicemail.

I check the time and gather my stuff to head over to the high school. Teaganne is worried about getting everything done for the bakery on time, but I have a plan to help with that. Slowly, I make my way through town. It’s so different driving through Blue Ridge compared to Atlanta. Atlanta is all about the hustle and bustle. No one slows down to enjoy anything, but here in Blue Ridge, it’s like every drive is a lazy Sunday afternoon cruise. I’ve missed this. As I pass by the Sip and Smack, I notice that Fran’s parking lot is full, but not nearly as full as it has been. I’m wondering if the new awe of her restaurant is wearing off for the people.

After checking in with the office, I head straight for Rocker’s office. He’s watching a football game on his laptop when I knock on the door. He looks up and smirks. “So nice of you to join us.”

I chuckle and take a seat in one of the chairs in front of his desk. “I’ve been busy.”

Rocker raises his eyebrows, a knowing look in his eyes. “With Teaganne?”

“Some of it.”

Rocker closes the laptop and leans back in his chair, throwing his feet on top of the desk. “Oh, please fill me in.” I shake my head but give him a little bit of information. “I’m really happy for y'all. The two of you were always pretty much perfect for each other. Honestly, when I heard y’all had broken up during college I was so shocked. A part of me always thought the two of you were meant to be.”

“I think we are. I just think we had to separate for a bit to truly find ourselves. We have to each have our own goals and what not. I didn’t see that back then, that’s why she left. Looking back now, I think she was right to leave when she did. I think we both could have handled the situation better, but I’m thankful we broke up back then. We’ll be so much better now,” I admit.

“And what about Silas and Seraphina?” Rocker asks.

I shrug. “I love them. They’re kind of hard to be around and not love. I’ll treat them as if they were my own flesh and blood. I don’t have any issues with stepping into those shoes.”

He nods his head in approval. “I’m glad to hear that. Those kids deserve someone like you in their lives.”

We talk about little league tryouts and the high school football game tomorrow afternoon. It’s being played out of town so they leave first thing in the morning. “So, I had a purpose for showing up here today.”

“Of course, you did. What’s up?”

“Teaganne has all the plans laid out for the bakery, but she’s worried about getting all the painting done. She hired Jayse to install the new flooring and windows and I think the display cases. The painting she’s planning on doing herself tonight, but I was thinking we could probably knock it all out tonight if we all help her.”

Rocker smiles. “Warbee and I will be there. I’m sure Capri will help out, too, if you ask her. I’m excited to see what you and Teaganne pull together. Warbee is excited, too.”

“I’m going to head over to the bakery to see if I can help Teaganne with anything at the bakery. I’ll see you this afternoon for tryouts.” As I head back to the office to drop off my visitor badge, I check my messages. My phone has no missed alerts from Teaganne. I’m thinking that maybe she just got busy at the bakery and doesn’t have her phone on her. I’ll see her in a few. The drive from the high school to the bakery is a quick one. It’s mid-morning so there is no lunch rush yet. Bee’s Batter as a few cars parked in front of it, but overall parking is relatively easy. As I scan the area, I realize I don’t see Teaganne’s SUV anywhere.

Capri is cleaning up some tables and tidying things up when I enter. The bell over the door rings and she turns around. “Well hello there, stud muffin. What can I do for you today?”

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