Page 52 of Crumbling Truth
Fortunately for both of us, I was much better at sprinkling candy cane shards and placing mini vegan marshmallows than I was at actually frosting cupcakes. I made Esther describe eachflavor so I could recognize them on sight, but she went a step further and set aside one of each of the offerings for the tree lighting for me to sample throughout the day.
Delicious as everything was, I was grateful she chose limited menus for events like this. My blood sugar couldn’t handle the dozens of options she offered on custom orders.
Watching her work was fascinating. She got this look of intense concentration on her face as she added artistic touches and printed labels on decorative cardstock. When she pulled out a bright pink folder to hold a stack of printouts, I raised a brow.
“What’s that for?”
Esther’s teeth were caught on her lower lip as she sorted and paperclipped them into some kind of order. “Ingredient lists and allergy protocols. Most of my customers have already spoken to me about that stuff in the past, so they trust that I know what I’m doing, but sometimes I get people visiting from out of town or who have newly diagnosed allergies and are still navigating. It helps to have something they can look over so they can make a decision.”
I paused in my garnishing to smile at her. “Have I told you that you’re amazing?”
With a snort, she said, “Only six or seven times this week.”
That feeling spilled through my veins again, the tender rush of affection for this woman who’d been through so much and still had so much to give to others. I thought back to the night I’d called her bait for my parents’ trap, but that wasn’t it at all.
She was a promise, a treasure at the end of a long quest. My heart clenched painfully in my chest.
This treasure is not for you.
I almost argued with that quiet voice in my head, but what was there to say? No attachments, no pain—that was how I lived. Esther had given no indication she wanted anything more thanwhat we’d agreed to, but she’d made it clear her life was here in Spruce Hill.
Apparently, I’d been frozen in place long enough for her to notice. “You okay?” she asked. “I can finish those up if you have other things to do.”
“No, I’m good. I’m almost done,” I assured her, smiling until her concerned expression softened.
We made it through the remainder of the preparations, loaded them into the refrigerator in her back hall, and took a break to eat sandwiches on the loveseat. When we finished, Esther curled against my side and I toyed with a lock of hair that had slipped from her braid.
As my fingertips brushed over the back of her neck, she snuggled closer and sighed contentedly. “That feels good.”
“I could spend all day exploring your skin,” I murmured.
“Mmm. I’ll write you in for tomorrow, then,” she replied, peering up to grin at me. “We do have most of the day before the event.”
I laughed and kissed the tip of her nose. “I can think of a few activities to kill time.”
She rose to her feet and held out a hand, saying, “Then by all means, let’s get some practice in before tomorrow.”
I caught her fingers in mine, kissed the inside of her wrist, and followed her to the bedroom.
Saturdaypassedinmuchthe same fashion, a mixture of preparations for the evening’s event and abandoning our duties to explore one another—and it seemed like every exploration led to some new discovery, whether it was a positionEsther didn’t even realize she enjoyed or a quiet moment that burrowed deep under my skin, settling dangerously close to my heart.
We crawled out of bed for a shower and a makeshift dinner, changed into our matching Nutless Wonder tees, and loaded the food truck with all of the night’s offerings. Once we were back inside, I kept my boots on and gestured toward the house.
“I’ll feed the queen before we go. Anything else I need to bring tonight?”
Esther moved to the kitchen to take a peek at her checklist. “Just a coat for when we go watch the lighting, I think.”
Before I left, I came up behind her, wrapped my arms around her middle, and kissed the side of her neck. She hummed and leaned back against me, folding her arms over mine. We stayed that way until she finally glanced over her shoulder with a smirk.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m going,” I muttered. “Tomorrow, though, you’re mine. No interruptions, no baking, no work intruding.”
The radiance of her smile warmed me to my core as she turned in my arms and rested her chin against my chest to beam up at me. “That’s the best offer I’ve had all year,” she teased, then shooed me out the door.
Toni ignored me completely as I prepared her dinner, though she allowed me to give her a few quick pets before swishing her tail in my face. For a moment, guilt tugged at me for leaving her alone so much these last few days, but whenever we came to the house, she stayed several yards away from wherever we were sitting.
Still, I decided to see if Esther was open to spending some nights in my bed, even if hers had become my new favorite hideaway.
I grabbed my coat and made my way back to the guest house, waiting in the clear, cold night while Esther locked the doorbehind us. We hopped up into the food truck and headed toward town.
