Shrugging a shoulder, I can't stop myself from grinning. “Guess that's for me to know and you to find out.”
“Oo,” he says, sucking in a breath of air with a hiss. “One point, Misty. Where did this little firecracker come from? I like her.” He tries to wrap me with an arm and pull me in, but I stop him.
Pushing myself out of his grasp, I take a step toward the door. “Calm down there, Romeo. We still have work to do, remember?”
Hanging his head, he nods. “Yeah, yeah, I know.”
Suddenly, there's a loud rustle in the bushes, causing us both to freeze. Our eyes are locked on the tree line, and we can see the treetops as they sway back and forth.
The ground beneath my feet vibrates. “Do you feel that?” I ask.
“Feel what?” He turns to look at me, when a giant buck comes charging out of the woods. “Get in the car!” he yells, throwing himself into the front seat.
I follow suit, almost diving in through the window. Nick starts the car and rolls the windows up. The deer runs in our direction, and my heart jumps in my throat as we both seem to be stuck in this state of shock.
The deer is right here, and on reflex I close my eyes right before he hits the car. Cringing, I wait, clutching the dashboard like it will save me.
And then silence.
Peeking out from one eye, I see Nick looking back over his shoulder. Following his gaze, the buck is still running, charging up the desolate road.
“Holy shit,” I finally say, letting out the breath I'm holding in.
Nick starts to laugh and drags his hand across his head. “Wow, didn't expect that. Good thing he waited until we were done.”
We both start laughing, and I finally feel at ease with this whole trip.
Maybe it won't be so bad. But we can't do this again, that was the last time.
I need to behave myself.
But what if I can't?
5
Misty
Nick opens the door of the bakery and holds his arm out for me to go in first. I smile, he smiles back, but it's not a normal smile. It's a smile made from dirty, hot, oral sex on the side of the road.
My body is still tingly, my skin is flush and warm. I can still feel the effects of the orgasm. I'm laughing and giggling over almost nothing, like a giddy girl with a crush.
He walks in behind me, and we're instantly met by a young man. He throws his arms up, and flips his fingers in our direction.
“No, no, no, I'm sorry, I have to ask you to leave. The sign might say open, but you can't come in.” He rests his hand on his hip, and brushes his hair from his face. “I wish I could tell my mother-in-law that, but my husband would divorce me.” He laughs at his own joke, then quickly stops, and stares at us. “We open on the tenth, so you can come back then.”
Nick smirks, flashing his brows. The look on his face is feisty and playful, and I know he's planning on messing with him.
Throwing his thumb over his shoulder, he looks back at the door. “But the sign does say open.” Nick's lip twitches at the corner, playing up the confusion. “So, you must be open, right?”
“Well, we are closed.” The man stands tall, then leans forward as he cups his hands. “So,” he says, bouncing his eyes toward the door. “So. . .” he says again, drawing out the word, waiting for us to catch the answer ourselves as he flips a finger at the exit.
I'm trying not to laugh, but it's really hard. Nick's brows drop, and he keeps glancing at the door and then back at the man. “Do you guys have muffins?”
“We will, when we have our grand opening.”
Lord, this guy is doing his best to stay cool, but I can see the frustration starting to build in his frown lines.
“Do you have any right now?” Nick points at the counter and tilts his head.
“Look, as I've explained—”
“I know I smell muffins. Do you smell them?” he asks me, taking a few steps deeper into the bakery. Nick starts to walk past the man, pushing past him as if he isn't there. “There has to be muffins around her somewhere. Are they in the back?” He points at the double doors and starts to move that way.
“Sir, you can't go in there.” There's panic in his voice, his eyes wide, bordering on hysteria. The man doesn't know what to do.
Giggling, I finally intervene. “Okay, that’s enough,” I say calmly. “Hello, I'm Misty Glensdale, and this is Nick—”
“Torro?” he asks, flashing even wider eyes. I nod, and he drops his arms. “Oh my God, I am so sorry Mr. Torro, your voice, you sound different than on the phone. I didn't recognize it, I didn't realize—”
Nick holds up his hand and grins. “No, it's fine. . . Lewis, is it?” he asks curiously, and Lewis nods in agreement. “Don't apologize. I was messing with you. You did the right thing, you were polite and professional even when I challenged you.” Nick slaps him on the back as he walks forward, and Lewis stumbles slightly from Nick's strength.
“I'm so glad you two are here. After talking to you, I wasn't sure when you were coming, but Vanessa assured me it was soon, but she didn't really give me an exact time or day.” He's rambling, obviously nervous that the new owner is here.
“Well,” Nick fans out both arms with a big smile on his face. “Here we are.” Clapping his hands, he stands at my side. “So, you told me a little on the phone, but what exactly is going on?”
Lewis explains there's been some issues with the current ovens, and he can't get them to work properly. That's a big problem, we need the ovens to all work perfectly. He goes on to tell us the fliers about the grand opening still aren't in, one baker quit already, and he's not sure how they're going to open in two weeks without the correct menus.
“Don't worry,” Nick says, his voice calm and soothing. “We're going to fix it, that's why we're here.” Lewis's shoulders roll forward and you can see the stress melt away. “Misty and I will handle everything; you just focus on hiring a new baker. Sound good?”
“Yes, that sounds great.”
The bakery is a welcome distraction. Nick spends the day doing oven research and contacting appliance repair men in the area to get someone out. I work on the rest, calling a few contacts I have in the printing business for a few owed favors.
Nick bumps my hip with his and leans across the counter. “Ready to head out? I sent Lewis home; I think we've done all we can today.”
“So ready. I'm starving.”
“Hotel room service and mini bar drinks?” he asks.
“You had me at hotel,” I say with a smirk.
Bedford, New Hampshire. I'm not even sure how Vanessa found this little town. It's quaint, with one main road through the center of town. The buildings are all made of brick, and some of the alleys still have cobblestone instead of pavement.
We drive the five minutes up the street to the hotel. It's nothing fancy, a simple, two story hotel, with a hot tub and a pool out front to entice people inside.
“It ain't the Ritz, but it'll do. The only other place is a bed and breakfast that treats guests to a haunted experience. Wasn't sure how you'd feel about that.”