Broken Hero

I pretend to look under a pillow. “I don’t think so.”

Oliver rolls his eyes, but he’s smiling. “Come on, scaredy-cat. Let’s go.”

I pull my hair into a ponytail and glance in the mirror. I look presentable. We’re adults, I think again. Nothing to hide. Oliver heads for the door, but I stop him with a hand on his arm. “Oliver?”

“Yes?””Thank you for coming over last night.”

His eyes soften and he’s looking at me that way again-the way that makes me melt. “Anytime,” he murmurs.

I take the lead down the stairs to the bakery. It’s still early and we haven’t opened yet-thank God!-but I can hear cheery music from the radio in the kitchen. Phil is probably out doing the rounds, but Claire will be in.

It’s just my luck, of course, that she pops out from the kitchen right as we pass by the counter. She smiles at us both, as if seeing Oliver in the bakery before the store is open is an ordinary occurrence.

“Good morning!”

We have nothing to be ashamed of. I grab Oliver’s hand and smile back at her. “Good morning! I’m sorry for being late this morning.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it. We don’t open for another ten minutes anyway. Hi, Oliver.”

“Good morning, Claire.”

“Do you want coffee before you go?”

“Thank you, but I should be going.”

“Are you sure? We have a new roast… it’s from Colombia, I think. Or Ethiopia?”

“No, I better be off. The first wedding of the season is coming up.”

“Oh, of course! But before you go, tell me, what did Sarah think about the cake for John?”

He smiles. “She loved it, and so did John. They both send their thanks.”

“I knew she’d like the red velvet!” Claire gives us a cheery wave and heads back into the kitchen. We’re left alone, hand in hand. A slow smile spreads on my face, echoing the one on his. She well and truly knows about us now.

Oliver bends to whisper in my ear. “She didn’t even bat an eyelid. Do you do this often? Bring men through here in the morning?”

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He shakes his head at me, but his eyes are light with teasing. “And here I thought I was special.”

“Nope, just one of the many.” I pull him towards the front door. “Thank you, though.”

“For what?”

“For being my favorite one.”

Oliver grins and pulls on his cap, once again covering the thick blonde hair I love to bury my hands in. He presses a final kiss to my temple.

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

The door shuts behind him and I just stand there, watching as he heads out on Main Street. I’ve never felt this before-this intense mixture of admiration and compassion, of want and need.

I love him. I won’t tell him, not yet, even though the feeling is so strong it threatens to consume me. All those weeks ago, when I sat on the bus towards Claremont, seeking an escape… Would I have believed it, if someone had told me that I’d find happiness here? Love? I don’t think I would’ve.

I start prepping the displays. The bakery opens later on weekends, but we draw a larger crowd. People tend to filter in throughout the day to buy our famous cookies. The huge stack of chocolate chip and toffee is shrinking by the hour, but so is Claire’s new variety with crushed Oreos. She’ll be happy to see it’s a hit.

I smile at each and every customer, so happy I feel like I could burst. Love. Who would have thought? I don’t know where Oliver and I are heading, but I’m beyond excited to find out.

Mandy pops into the bakery around lunch, camera in hand.

“Hey!” It’s rare for her to stop by. “This is a happy surprise!”

“Hi, Luce.”

“Are you here for a cookie?” I wiggle my eyebrows at her. “Don’t tell my bosses, but I’ll let you have a sample.”

She smiles, but it’s tight. “No, although I might take you up on that later. I wanted to see you.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No, no. I just… I just figured you should know.” She glances around the bakery before she leans forward. “I stopped at Ricky’s this morning for some coffee.”

“Ah. The gossip hotspot?”

“Exactly.”

“Has something happened?”

“Well, I overheard talk about how a certain red truck was parked outside the bakery… overnight.”

“What?””It wasn’t bad, you know. Not really.”

“Did they mention us?”

“Yes, well, people know you live here, and that the two of you work together. But it doesn’t matter what anyone says. They’re just curious, and you’re new. It’s been a long time since Oliver’s name has been connected with anyone. They’re interested.”

“I’m not that new.”

She rolls her eyes. “You’ll be new for years, Lucy. It’s how this town works.”

A wave of panic sweeps through me and I do my best to choke it down. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“Of course, I figured you’d want to know.” She puts a hand over mine, her dark eyes warm. “They’ll gossip for a day or two, and then it’ll die down. You know how it is. Besides, this way, you and Oliver won’t have to announce it or anything.”

I nod. “Yeah, you’re right.”