Taking a step toward her, I cup her elbow. “You should consider taking the position here. It would be perfect. People love you, everyone we've met since we've been here has just fallen in love with you.”
“Nick, come on. New York is my home. I can't just abandon everything to move here.”
“Why not? It could be perfect. I mean, we're supposed to go back in a couple days, and I know neither of us wants to. What if we stay here? Vanessa can run New York, I can help from the sidelines, and you can bake special order cakes at this store.”
“Nick, I—”
“You can still do the marketing stuff if you want, but if we're here, there's nothing keeping us apart.”
Misty goes silent, her eyes searching mine. I don't say anything, I’m just letting the idea simmer in her brain. It's a great idea, she has to see that.
“Nick,” she says, taking a step back. “Look, this is fun, it really is, and I'm enjoying being with you. But it has to end at some point. I'm not a baker, I can't suddenly drop my life and become someone I'm not. We can't live in this fantasy world we built, I'm sorry. Eventually, we have to go back to reality.”
Hanging my head, I rake my fingers through my hair and look away.
She's right. This isn't reality. This isn't who we are. This is us playing roles we can't continue. But I'm not willing to let her go this easily. That's not how I work.
Misty might be willing to leave me here, to pretend like this never happened. To ignore what I know she feels inside.
I can't.
8
Misty
“I don't want you guys to leave yet,” Lewis says, pouting his bottom lip. “You need to stay for the grand opening. You did this, you should be here.”
“Lewis,” I say, drawing out his name as I lean in and hug him. “I wish we could, but there's work for us in New York.”
“I know, but it sucks. It was really nice having people around that know what they're doing for once.” He smiles sadly and kicks his foot against the floor as I break our hug.
“Don't worry,” Nick chimes in as he walks out from the kitchen. “I'm pretty sure we'll be back. This place is too nice to stay away from.”
Nick's eyes steady on mine, and I know instantly what he's thinking. He wants to stay too. He wants to live where we don't have to worry about upsetting others or being judged.
Because it will happen. People will see us, they'll talk, and before we know it, some rumor will evolve into a full-fledged scandal. That's how it goes, especially when you're well known.
Nick's a rich investor, a hot bachelor with no one on his arm. Vanessa is an up and coming queen of the bakery, about to open three more, and I'm just the invisible friend with no status; who wouldn't want a piece of that story?
Besides, Vanessa is my best friend, I won't risk ruining our relationship over some guy. She told me she liked him, and I'm going to respect that.
This was just play time. It's not real anyway.
My smile dips down as I soften my eyes and arch my brows apologetically. I know what Nick wants. He wants me. And I'm lying if I sit here and say I feel nothing for him. Because I do. I feel more than I ever have with anyone else in my life.
It hurts to feel like I have to make a choice between the two of them.
Nick's face stays still, his expression hard as stone, but his eyes, his eyes speak loud and clear. He wants more time together. He wants us to keep playing this game where we can be whomever we want in this little town.
We're tucked away from the world, hidden behind a vale of trees from the city we call home. In this place we're free to be us. Together.
The front door flies open, and a gust of wind sweeps through the bakery, blowing the paper menus off the counter.
“Surprise!”
We all stand still, turning our heads in unison to the voice at the door. Vanessa is standing with a huge smile on her face, with her arms out wide like we're all going to run and embrace her.
“Vanessa?” I say her name like a question, even though I can see she's right there.
“Yeah, don't act so happy to see me,” she says with a giggle as she drops her bag to the floor and starts walking around the room. “I thought I'd come check out the new place. You guys did such a great job of getting it all set before the big day. I just had to see it for myself.”
She spots Lewis and gives him a pleasant smile. “You must be Lewis.” Holding out her hand, she steps forward to introduce herself. “I'm Vanessa, we've talked on the phone, but haven't had the chance to meet yet.”
“So you're the big city baker everyone's been talking about.” He gives her his signature smile and shakes her hand. “Thank you so much for sending these two, they saved the place, they really did.”
“As I knew they would.” Vanessa moves around the bakery, touching everything she can. She picks up the menu and looks at me. “Paper?”
“For now. The original order wasn't going to make it in time, so I had these made and the new, leather bound menus will be here next Friday.”
She nods, accepting my answer. “And the ovens are all set?”
“Yup,” Nick answers, folding his arms across his chest. “Fixed them myself. There was a faulty igniter on the set. Misty tested them out, and they work perfectly now.”
“Misty tested them?” she asks, unsure how I fit into the equation.
“Yeah, you didn't tell me she was quite the baker herself.”
Vanessa looks at me over her shoulder, her lips thin. “I thought you hated baking?”
“I do, but I should practice my skills once in a great while, I guess.”
“Huh,” she says, nodding her head. “Well. . .” Vanessa pauses, running a finger across the edge of the counter and checking it for dust. There's none of course, because I know how she likes her bakery kept, and the expectations she has. “I thought I'd spend the night, maybe do a little sightseeing, meet some of the locals. What do you think, guys? Want to take me around town?”
Nick lets out a gush of air as he smiles. It's a fake smile, I can tell instantly. He doesn't want to spend our last night being a tour guide for Vanessa. He wants to spend it with me.
“Uh, yeah, sure, we can do that,” I answer. Because saying no would draw unwanted attention. Doesn't he realize this?
Vanessa lets out a giddy squeal as she quickly steps to me and pulls me in for hug. “This is going to be so much fun. I can't wait to see the place.”
I look up at Nick, and he isn't even looking at me. He's looking down, disappointment filling his face in the shape of lines across his forehead and a taut mouth.
He sighs heavily and storms off into the kitchen. Our last night together isn't about us anymore. There's a third wheel and it's the one person I never want to hurt.
Lewis takes Vanessa around the bakery, giving her the tour. They sit down at one of the tables and she helps him go through potential candidates for the open baker position.
Nick won't even look at me. I can't tell if he's pissed off or just really upset. He brushes by me, his shoulder swiping mine, and he doesn't even look up. I don't know what he wants from me. I didn't ask for this.