Page 6 of If You Were Mine
Now I had employees, ledgers, overhead, and I was in the black.
The Cages had taken a chance on me, and I knew it was because I was a family friend. And I wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Or whatever that expression was.
I dropped off Lucky, and thankfully he was on his ball-high so he wasn’t sad that I had abandoned him.
I winced at that. I always hated leaving my baby boy at doggie daycare, but he was a large golden retriever, at least seventy pounds, but we weren’t going to talk to him about that, and I owned a bakery. The health code violations alone would be too much. And I wasn’t going to have him locked up in my small apartment all day.
For now he got to play with his friends, and I knew he would be taken care of.
Maybe having a large dog at this point in my life wasn’t the smartest idea, but I wouldn’t change Lucky for the world.
After all, Joshua was rarely in town, and that meant Lucky was my only family sometimes.
Though if I said things like that to Joshua, using my big eyes just like Lucky did, my brother would be at my side in an instant.
Overprotective, slightly overbearing, and growly.
But then sometimes he would bring a certain Cage with him, and all would be right in the world.
I rolled my eyes as I began my morning prep. My employee, Melody, whistled under her breath as she worked on the sourdough that we were setting up for the afternoon.
Thankfully she couldn’t read my mind, but as soon as that Cage walked in, she’d be able to read my face. She had always been able to.
Thankfully she didn’t tease me. And thankfully my brother had no idea that I was totally crushing on his best friend.
His much older best friend.
Well, Joshua and Dorian were the same age, but I was not.
No, I was eight years younger, and even though I was an adult, out of college, and a business owner, I was still the baby sister.
But first crushes never went away.
As I set the frosted cookies aside and rubbed my lower back, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Flour coated one cheek, and I was pretty sure there was some form of frosting in my dark red hair. I dyed it different colors constantly, because it was fun. The only color I never truly went was an orange, mostly because the one time I had it had been a total accident, and it was not my color.
“You look a fright,” Melanie teased.
I rolled my eyes. “That’s what happens when I get to work, and I’m thinking about too many things at once.”
“Joshua should be back in town today, right?
“Yep. He’s in Denver right now but plans on being here for dinner.”
“I’m glad that he has an apartment here, and he doesn’t have to sleep on your tiny couch.”
“If Joshua had his way, I would be living in that apartment with him. Or he would in fact be living on my couch. I don’t think he likes the fact that we live separately. It’s not like he actually lives in Cage Lake year-round.”
Cage Lake was a beautiful town with memories and a thriving historical community. It had been growing over time, but the Cages made sure it didn’t explode.
There were laws in place by the town governance to make sure that things didn’t hurt the environment and grow exponentially. Even the resort on the east side of town had strict limits on how many people were allowed to be there at a time.
It brought in the income our town needed in order to take care of itself, but as of yet, it hadn’t overflowed into making Cage Lake inhospitable or unlivable.
It was home. Unlike some who were transplants, I had been born and raised here—except for a few years after my parents died.
I ran my hand over my chest. No, I didn’t like to think about those years.
“What are you planning on making him?” Melody asked as she flipped the sign to open. People walked in with coffee in their hands and smiled. Our regulars.
