Page 11 of Don't Hurt Us
“Sorry.I kind of just blurted that out, huh?”
“Yeah, just a little.Do you want to start at the beginning?Maybe with who Maverick is?”
I take a deep breath and blow it out slowly.Stacy is my best friend… But things are complicated with our relationship.She’s my ex-husband’s sister.It should be weird for me to talk to her about another man, but she doesn’t care.She thinks Rob is an idiot for cheating on me and leaving his family behind.She’s cut all ties with her brother and says she doesn’t regret it at all.
“Maverick is the owner of the local bar.”I go on to explain how he wants to work together and the details we worked out tonight.
“Ah, so he’s cute?”
“Cute?No.Attractive?Yes.Drool worthy?Absolutely.”
“Wow, I'm not sure I’ve ever seen you describe someone like this.”She chuckles.“Ok, tell me all the details.”
Chapter 7
Maverick
AsIwalktowardsthe bakery, I catch sight of Sydney through the window.She’s chatting with Mr.Raven with a big smile on her face.She throws her head back and laughs at something he said.I can’t help but stare at her.She’s so beautiful.
I push through the door and her gaze strays from the old man to me.Her smile widens even though I didn’t think that was possible.
“Hey, Mav.How are you?”
I love how she’s started calling me Mav.It feels more intimate since only my friends call me that.
“I'm good.I’m excited for today.”
“What’s going on today?”Mr.Raven watches me carefully.He’s the nicest old man in town.He’s always asking if you need help and willing to go the extra mile for his neighbors.
“Well, as of today, I’ll be selling Sydney’s Sweets at the bar.Sydney helped me pair the desserts with drinks.There will be a limited amount of them each day, but I'm hoping it can help both of our businesses.”
“That’s a great idea!You two have the best businesses in town.You always go the extra mile to bring in more customers and you actually care about them.I'm proud of you both.”
“Thanks, Mr.Raven.”Sydney smiles proudly.
“Thanks.How have you been?I haven’t been able to swing by recently.I’ll make sure to stop by this weekend if the weather stays safe.”
“Oh, I'm doing just fine.Colt’s been bothering me again about finding the person responsible for TP-ing my house.”He chuckles and shakes his head.
“I wonder if he’ll ever figure it out.”I grin.Half of the town knows who’s responsible, but it’s been driving Colt nuts for years.
“Sooner or later, I’ll have to let it slip.I'm afraid that boy will have a stomach ulcer over this.”He rolls his eyes.“Thank you, Sydney, for the wonderful sweets.You keep this old body running well.”He flashes her a grin before turning to me.“Mav, I’ll have to stop in soon to see what all the fuss is over these dessert and alcohol pairings.Have a good day, kids.”He waves as he walks out the door.
“I love that man.”Sydney chuckles.“He’s so sweet.”
“Yeah, he is.He was like a second grandpa to me when I was growing up.My parents used to send me to his house in the summer to help him in his woodshop.Mr.Raven loved the extra help and my parents liked knowing I wasn’t getting into trouble.He taught me so much.”
“That’s so sweet.”She places her hand over her heart.
We watch each other for a few moments, neither of us knowing what to say now, but I don’t mind the silence.I just like being with her.
“I have your box ready.”She squats down and rummages through a shelf under the counter before placing my box in front of me.
“Awesome… Do you think I could actually get another six of them?”I scrunch up my nose, feeling like an idiot.“I should’ve thought of this last night.I want to make sure my employees get to experience this too.If they know how good the dessert pairs with the drinks, they’ll be able to talk them up to customers.”
“Of course.”She slides the door open to the display case and tugs out the tray of lemon bars.She places half a dozen in the box before spinning around to wrap the box in red and white string to keep it closed.
“What do I owe you?”
