Amelia

Working with Tracy has been great. I’m somewhat over the jealousy thing after Blake did all he could to show me that I’m his. Tracy’s pretty and young, closer in age to Blake. She didn’t seem interested in him either. In fact, several guys in town took notice of her, but she brushed them off.

“It’s almost time for me to go,” I tell her, taking off my apron. The store has been so busy that I’ve hardly had five minutes to miss Blake, but every one of those was filled with a painful sadness.

“Do you go to school every day of the week?” Tracy asks, organizing the last of the cookies and brownies on the shelves. We have more in the oven, but they have been selling faster than normal. I think it’s because more people are aware of the bakery and coming for treats. Blake’s right; Valentine’s Day is going to be jam-packed.

“Yes, I wanted to get all the classes I could in at one time.”

“That’s got to be tiring.” I’m about to answer when the door chimes. Both of us look up to see my dad strolling in. He looks around the room as if searching for someone which I suspect is Blake.

“Dad, what brings you here?” I ask, coming from around the counter for a hug. He returns it, but I see that his attention is drawn away from me for a second. It comes back, but I know what I saw. A beeping comes from the kitchen. “Oh, hold on, I need to get the brownies.”

“I can do it,” Tracy offers.

“No, you’ve done a lot today. I’ll get them.” I rush to get them from the oven and let them cool. When I come back out I see that I’ve missed something. The room is heated with tension and they both look upset.

“Can I get you anything, dad?”

“No, I wanted to walk you to your car. I know that’s for your boyfriend, but he’s apparently not reliable.” My dad has been this way any time a guy shows me interest, but the thing is Blake’s the only one I’ve cared if he pushes away. My heart belongs to Blake already. I can’t even fathom the thought that Blake would cut his losses.

“Dad, that’s not fair. Blake is at a business meeting for his real career. He’s been nothing but respectful and sweet.”

“Sorry. You’re my baby girl and I want the best for you.”

“I understand, but I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”

He threw his hands up in surrender. “Fine, I’ll try to cool it. Well, are you ready?”

“Do you have this until Blake gets back?” I ask Tracy. I’d hate to leave her alone because I can’t help but think of Tyler’s visits.

“Sure. Good luck at school and with him,” she tilts her head towards my dad. They don’t say bye to each other and I wonder if it’s my imagination or they’re fighting the insane heat between them.

I let his bad attitude go with the others, but I have to put my foot down where Blake’s concerned. I want him more than I want to breathe, and it hurts to be away from him. “Dad, I know you don’t want me to find anyone,” I blurt out, unsure of where I’m going with this.

He stops on the pavement while I walk to my driver’s side door. “Wait right there, young lady. I do want you to find someone. I just want to know that he’s good enough for you and willing to put up with a lot to have you. When your mother walked out, I was young too, but she couldn’t handle when things got tough. She wasn’t ready to be a mother and although I wasn’t to be a father either, I never stopped wanting you. You’ve been my life for so long that I don’t want that to happen to you. Hell, even know I’m still learning and not even sure what I’m getting at. I know Blake’s a good guy, but I’m a dad. It’s my job to worry.”

I get in and lower the window. “I’m fine, dad. We don’t even see each other outside of the bakery, but he made me promise to go on a date on Valentine’s Day.”

“That’s going to be nice.” I nod, then start my engine. It takes two times for it to turn over. “You need to get this hunk of junk into the shop.”

“I think so too, but I don’t have time right now.” With school, homework, and actual work, I can’t afford to go without a car for a week. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just the middle of winter and it’s an older car. It takes more to start it when the weather is less than perfect. We’re just north of Houston and this winter has been unusually cold. My poor baby is a warm weather beast.

“Make sure it happens soon,” he scolds me.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” I agree, rolling my eyes in the process before shifting the car into drive.

“Do you like this guy?” he asks in a hurry to get an answer out of me.

“I really do.” It’s more than that, but that’s all I’m going to tell my dad. So, I pull out, leaving him standing at the curb. As I pull up to the stop sign, I gasp. Leaning on the streetlamp, Tyler is staring at me. He opens his coat just enough for me to see that he’s carrying. I would have peeled out already if it wasn’t for old Mrs. Jenkins crossing with her cane. The moment she gets two feet away from my car, I hit the gas and drive to class. My mind knows it’s not a coincidence, but in order to keep myself sane, spend the rest of the evening lying to myself that it was just a mere run-in. After all, our town is small.