Page 53 of It Couldn't Be You
“Oh,” she said, and there were those flushed cheeks again. “No, I’m the manager. But I do some of the baking, too.”
“She doesa lotof the baking, and she’s fabulous,” I said.
“Wow, a baker and a businesswoman,” he said. “I’m already impressed.”
“You should probably try the baking before you get too carried away,” Katie said, my exuberant friend, suddenly a little quiet and batting her eyes.
“I don’t need to try the baked goods to be impressed by you,” he said.
I thought about how he knew he wanted me to write for him, and he immediately reached out by email, then drove to meet me—bold in his intent. Now, here he was, looking into the eyes of my beautiful best friend, and there was still no question about his intent.
“Are you born and raised in Sweet River, like Emma?” Terrence asked, keeping her at our table.
“I am.” She nodded. “You’re visiting Austin, right? Just stopping in our town for the morning?”
“I might be able to extend my stay into a day trip,” he said, a little mischievous. “If I happen to get lunch plans.”
“You should stay here a little longer. I highly recommend it. But I’m curious, where are you from originally?”
“I’m from Canada. Vancouver, to be more specific. I went to college in the States, though. I have a place back home but also another in Seattle. A man with two countries.”
“I haveoneplace here in Sweet River. A tiny room,” Katie said playfully. “A woman with one tiny town.”
“Have you always lived here?” he asked.
“I went to school a few hours away, but then I zoomed right back here after graduation.”
“Do you travel much?” He tapped his fingers against the table.
“I love to travel,” she said. “But I also love coming back home.”
“Well, being the Sweet River expert,” he said, completely ignoring asking me, the person who literally wrote about Sweet River, “you got to tell me where should I go next?”
“Oh, you have found the right woman,” Katie said excitedly. She pulled out a chair and sat down with us at the table. My friend’s voice might be a little quieter around this man, but she was just as bold.
From there, I lost them both.
I tip-toed over to the pastry display, grabbed two scones, and set them on the table between the pair. They both laughed and thanked me.
My meeting was obviously over, so I got to work and started handing out coffee and baked goods. They stayed in the same spot talking fornearly an hour.
Nineteen
Finally, I walked over to Katie and Terrence, “Katie,” I said, interrupting them. They glanced up at me. “I can run this place if you’re hungry and in need of a lunch break.”
“Oh, Em, don’t worry—” Katie was beginning to protest, the loyal worker bee she was.
But Terrence was wise enough to say, “Maybe we can grab lunch together at that sandwich shop you were telling me about?”
“Oh.” Katie was clearly torn. “If you’re sure you’re okay without me, Em?”
“Definitely. Go. Eat food.” I couldn’t stop smiling, holding back a laugh, remembering her wondering if my meeting was going to turn into a love story—if Terrence was going to be hot.
“Well, yeah.” She turned to Terrence. “That sounds great. Let me just grab my bag.”
“Perfect. It’s a date,” he said happily. Katie nodded at him with a grin in agreement.It was a date.
The two headed out together, and I watched from behind the counter, bagging a few cookies for a customer. I felt a subtle pang in my chest. An ache for something out of reach.
